1 Beyond the Mist

DISCLAIMER:

The following is a fanbased story. Black Clover and its characters with the exceptions of OCs is all owned by Shonen Jump Magazine, Crunchyroll, Funimation Entertainment, TV Tokyo, Toonami TV, Tatsuya Yoshihara, and Yuki Tabata. Please support the official release.

NOTE:

The following takes place during the Black Clover storyline so some scenes may or may not be altered. If you are not a fan of this kind of thing, I advise you not to read ahead.

SPECIAL THANKS TO:

My friend IRL Kenta for helping me co-write

***

Five centuries ago--There was ancient race, Elves who were blessed by the Gods and mana.

They had lived within the forsaken lands, said to have housed wild magic, and spirits.

Many within the Clover Kingdom were told the Elves were demons, and possessed powerful magic unlike any other. Citizens, bandits and Hunters sought out to take their magic for themselves, to become the equivalent of Gods.

Though they didn't understand, the more they took, the less they had.

One day, a tribe saved the life of a human from a tornado made from wild magic itself. The human he had saved was the Princess of Clover.

The eldest brother and younger saw this as an opportunity for Humans and Elves to co-exist peacefully without fear.

The eldest brother had been the King of Clover, was kind, and understanding to the needs of others, even if they weren't citizens of the Kingdom, nor did it matter to him that they were not of royalty.

His youngest possessed the rare four leaf grimoire, who had befriended the elf that had saved the life of his sister, and he would eventually become the first Wizard King.

Though the work had been perilous and hopeless to most, they had succeeded in making the first village where humans and elves could co-exist.

The King had soon fallen for the warrior chief of the Elven tribe--And with that love, came their first child, and heir to the throne.

The young Heir was said to have been blessed with a gift like no other, making them different then the rest; though their difference was what made them all the more special.

The young Heir had become the beacon of hope, as once and for all, they were to bring the humans and elves together, along with the birth of a second child from the love of the princess and her savior.

However… One fateful day… The young Heir suddenly vanished in that of a storm, and not long afterwards… So did the Elves.

***

Hage had been a little peaceful village, as they rarely had to worry about anything. Occasionally the closest thing it had to worry about was one or two storms or even sometimes some unwanted visitors, though other than that, it has been fine all things considered really.

The only thing they had to worry about was the rumored Wandering Mist.

By now, everyone in the Clover Kingdom knew the story.

It was said that the mist never stayed in one place, and appeared no matter the season, and no matter the weather even if there wasn't any wind to push the clouds.

Those that are caught within are said to see their worst fears, and nightmares that are said to have chased off even the most elite Magic Knights. It was said to have appeared at random, in different parts of the land, even there to the other kingdoms.

However every now and then it would appear in different parts of the little village, and stay for a long period of time before vanishing again. No one in the village knew why, all they knew was when they saw the mist they had to stay away from it.

And so far… The villagers had succeeded in doing just that.

At least… Until now.

Just on the outside of the Village, there looked to be some sort of race going on as a trail of smoke had been left behind them.

One looked to be that of a young girl who looked to be fifteen as she had been wearing a black one piece outfit with a light gray halter top and a dark green vest with a collar with a brown belt around her waist. She had on a sea foam jewel around her neck as it looked to have a logo of a puma in the middle, as she had on brown arm sleeves. Her hair had been in an asymmetrical lob as her hair had been in the color of a red-orange, with light green eyes, and she had on a set of brown boots.

She had been running beside a young man as he had been the same age as her. His hair was short and messy as it had the color of an ash blonde as a single strand stood upwards. Though he had been short in stature he had made up for it with muscle as he had on a plain white tunic that had a v-neck collar to it, and a dark blue jacket with pants to match, as he had on black and white shoes as they had stitches along the tip.

The two of them looked to be racing as they were jumping from one tree to another as they were laughing.

"Come on shorty!" The girl taunted, "You're gonna have to try harder then that if you wanna be the next Wizard King!"

The young man shouted at her, "Of course I'm gonna be the next Wizard King, Feodora!"

"Oh yeah!?" The girl named Feodora said, "Then you better get faster, because I'm gonna steal this win!"

The girl named Feodora soon leaped down from the tree before she started to run. The young boy followed suit as he shouted, "HEY! GET BACK HERE!"

"NO WAY ASTA!" Feodora shouted, "THIS IS MY WIN THIS TIME!"

The boy--Asta soon picked up his pace till eventually they were neck and neck with each other. They both were running towards what looked to a clearing in the forest, eventually they matched their own pace; Both had been neck and neck. Though just as they reached the end of it, they suddenly found themselves getting pushed back by a sudden gust of wind.

They let out a scream as they were hurled in opposite directions.

A young man with black hair and golden eyes as he just walked by them. He had a pitch black shirt with a high collar and long sleeves and had on light brown pants.

"Sorry you two. I win again." He said.

The two of them sat up as they couldn't help but glare.

"WHAT THE HELL YUNO!?" Feodora shouted, "YOU CHEATED AGAIN!"

Asta had added, "YEAH! COME ON, MAN!!"

The young man named Yuno had said, "Hey, it's not my fault you don't have magic and Fedora doesn't have her grimoire yet."

The two of them couldn't help but glare at him. "YOU SHOULDN'T BE TALKING MR KNOW IT ALL!" Feodora yelled, "LAST I CHECKED YOU DON'T HAVE YOUR GRIMOIRE EITHER!"

Yuno had said to her, "And yet who hasn't been practicing their magic?"

Feodora growled as well as Asta. "We ARE practicing mind you!" Asta stated, "We're just taking a break!"

"Uhh huh." Yuno said, "You two know the drill, the loser has to do the chores… The winner's chores of course."

"Why did we agree that was the bet?" Feodora asked, looking to Asta.

Asta replied with a huff, "It was your idea!"

"My idea!?" She said offended, "You're the one that suggested it!"

The two of them had been taken back when they found themselves catching large baskets; one filled with fruits and the other filled with potatoes.

"Less chat, more doing." Yuno told them. "You don't want Father Orisi and sister Lily to be mad at you."

Both of them grumbled before they stood up picking up the baskets, before they started to set down hill, along the path provided. The sun had started to set over the horizon just as they halfway down and crows were seen overhead.

"This sucks." Fedora growled, "We're only two days away from getting our Grimoire and yet Mr. Know-It-All here seems to master his own magic like a pro!"

"You need to stop playing around and practice your magic if you want to be a part of the ceremony." Yuno told her.

"Hey, I am practicing!" She argued, "Though for the record you gotta lighten up! We only turn fifteen once and you know the old saying, you only live once!"

Yuno said while shaking his head, "This is why you're way behind on your magic."

"Guys, guys you're both right!" Asta said to them, "Besides the three of us worked hard to get to where we needed to be! Though I'd like to train, what's a little harm in having a bit of fun?"

Yuno couldn't help but smile at this as he said, "I suppose you're right."

"As always you're the optimist of the group aren't ya?" Feodora said.

Asta chuckled as he said, "Well someones gotta be right?"

Asta soon looked towards the horizon as the sun began to disappear over the hills. "Things are gonna start changing for the better!" He said, "Once I get into the Magic Knights, I'm gonna work my way up to being the Wizard King!"

Feodora gave a chuckle as she said, "An outcast nobody, with no magic becoming a Wizard King? Have to admit, that's gonna be a nice change, and I mean that as a compliment Asta!"

Asta had said while ruffling Feodora's hair, "Aw thanks Feo!"

Yuno had said to him, "In your dreams. If anyone is gonna be the Wizard King. It's me."

Asta soon yelled at him, "NO IT'S ME!"

Feodora couldn't help but laugh a little before she noticed something off in the air. She sniffed the air as she looked alert, "Hey guys?" She said, "Do you smell something burning?"

Asta and Yuno were about to say something till they noticed the smell as well. Asta looked in the direction of the smell, and that's when he noticed the smoke.

"Is someone nearby?" Asta said.

Yuno shushed him as he whispered, "Stay quiet."

They set aside their groceries before they went towards the smoke. Just over the hills they saw a campsite with people wearing ruined clothing possess weapons that had been stained with a faint of red. They saw a familiar insignia on a torn dark red flag, that possessed a skull of a deer and broken antlers.

"A Bandit tribe." Yuno whispered, "There's dozens of them."

"What are they doing near the village?" Feodora had asked.

Asta noticed a couple of them had been training, as they were attacking a broken tree. He soon looked over to the village as he came to a conclusion.

"Oh no!" Asta said, "They're gonna raid the village!"

At this Yuno and Feodora's eyes widened in shock and realization. "That must be why they have so many people." Yuno said after he looked over the tribe again, "If they go into the Village, they'll kill everyone, including the rest. We have to stop them."

"My thoughts exactly!" Feodora said as she cracked her knuckles, "Ready to have some fun, short stack?"

Asta smiled as he got himself ready, "You bet!"

The three of them soon went into the camp, as the Bandits had been readying themselves as they hid in the bushes. They started to make their way towards where most of the people had gathered.

"BROTHERS!" They heard what was assumed to be the chief among the tribe, "IT IS TIME FOR US TO TAKE WHAT IS RIGHTFULLY OURS! LET US CLAIM WHAT THEY ALL HAVE TO OFFER! AND FOR THOSE THAT STAND IN OUR WAY, WE WILL STRIKE THEM DOWN!!"

Most of them cheered while Asta, Yuno and Feodora stayed quiet and waited. Feodora soon started to use her magic, as she started to circle her hand that had been entirely made of ice. Claws similar to that of a feline animal appeared on her hands, before she gave a thumbs up towards Yuno and Asta.

Asta had readied his fists while Yuno had started to bring his wind.

"On three--" Asta whispered.

Feodora soon started to count down after she had drawn her claws. "One--"

"--Two--" Yuno said.

"--THREE!" Asta shouted.

They soon emerged from the bushes as they each let out their own war cry. The bandits had been taken back as most of them started to fly in the air due to the wind magic on their feet courtesy of Yuno.

"INCOMING!" Fedora shouted as she scratched a couple of the face, causing them to scream.

Asta charged at one of the bandits as he shouted, "TAKE THIS!" He soon socked one of them in the face knocking not just one but two.

All the bandits started to scramble as they began to attack them, though they had been quick to evade.

"WHO THE HELL ARE THESE LITTLE BRATS!?" The Chief shouted.

"THEY MUST BE FROM THE VIL--" One of the bandits shouted before he had been blown away by Yuno.

The Chief growled, "WELL DON'T JUST STAND THERE YOU IDIOTS KILL THEM!"

Most of the other bandits started to charge in on them as most of them started to gang up behind Asta. Feodora quickly knocked them all over scratching their legs.

"I GOT YOUR BACK BUDDY!" Feodora said with a smile.

Asta said as he gave a thumbs up, "Thanks Feo!"

They both soon dodged an attack from one of the bandits as they started to give chase on the three of them. They started to go through the camp as they began to knock over various objects making most of them trip.

They soon fired arrows, though Yuno was able to catch them with the wind before he sent them flying back towards them. "YOU LITTLE BRAT!!" One of the Bandits shouted before he started to use his magic.

"OH NO YOU DON'T!!" Feodora yelled before placing her hand towards the ground. Spikes of ice appeared on the ground, as it had knocked them all down suddenly.

One of them tried to cut them off, though Asta kicked him down. Asta yelled, "THAT'LL TEACH YOU TO MESS WITH OUR VILLAGE!"

The Chief soon yelled to them, "DON'T GET IN OUR WAY!!"

Asta shouted, "YUNO! FEO! NOW!"

The two of them nodded before Yuno summoned a gust of wind on Feodora, as the wind launched the girl moving at high velocity, she let out a battle cry as she hurled her claws on the bandits hand, causing him to flinch. She hit him down hard as he let out a cry.

"HOW DO YOU LIKE US NOW, BITCHES!?" Feodora shouted before she kicked them over towards the others making them fall over.

The Bandit Chief had said, as Feodora started to run with them again, "You're gonna pay for that! When I get my hands on you brats, I'll wear your skin as jackets!"

"I'D LIKE TO SEE YOU TRY!" Feodora yelled.

Asta soon added, "IN YOUR FACE!"

They soon found themselves surrounded by his men as the three of them stood back to back. The Chief laughed as he said, "Is that your last words, kiddies?"

"Looks like we're surrounded." Yuno said.

"No shit, Captain Obvious!" Feodora said.

"This is bad!" Asta said, "What do we do!?"

Asta's ears soon twitched when he heard an odd sound come over him. It sounded as though it was coming over his shoulder as at first he couldn't make it out. Though it hadn't been long before it became clear.

BA-THUMP, BA-THUMP--It went.

It went in a rhythmic pattern as far as he could tell; he looked around as he couldn't help but wonder where it had been coming from. "What…" Asta started to say, "... What is that?"

The Chief said as he laughed, "huh, look at that, kid's delusional of fear!"

"Asta?" Yuno said, noticing how he was looking.

"What's the matter!?" Feodora asked him, "Are you going into a daze!?"

"N-No." Asta replied, "I thought I--"

The sounds came again, as it couldn't help but make him jump before he looked around the area; he was trying to find out where the sound had been coming from. Though no matter where he looked, he just couldn't find out where it had been coming from.

Though his thoughts had been interrupted when he felt something hit him in the back hard.

"Asta!" Yuno exclaimed before him and Feodora were suddenly pinned.

They were quick to realize it had been from the Chief's magic, as they had been pinned via a set of bear claws. The Chief gave a laugh, "Did you really think you brats could stop us!? We're more powerful then you will ever be!"

"I--I can't move!" Asta said.

"D-Damn it!" Feodora shouted as she struggled.

Yuno groaned as he said, "Let us go!"

"Like we're gonna do that!" The Chief said, "You brats saw too much, and we're not gonna let you get off so easily!" He soon licked his lips in a sadistic way, "We're gonna make you suffer tenfold before we take what rightfully belongs to us!"

"They're innocent people in that Village!" Yuno said, "Innocent people with families!"

The Chief laughed, "Like we give a damn about that!"

Asta struggled to get out of the magic grip, as he was going everything in his power to break free. "You'll never get away with this, you bastard!"

"Yeah?" The Chief said, as he held his weapon, "And who's gonna stop us!?"

The Bandits soon readied themselves to kill them, as Asta, Yuno and Feodora looked fearful as they saw their weapons. However, just as they were ready to stab them to death, they had been taken back when they noticed what looked to be that of a small yet not so thick cloud roll by.

It hadn't been long before they noticed they were entirely surrounded in a white cloud; the campsite seemed to have disappeared.

"The hell!?" The Chief said as he looked around, "What is this!?"

"Where did this fog come from!?" One of his comrades said.

"What the hell happened to the camp!?" Another had said.

Suddenly they were taken back when they heard whispers coming from deep within making them freeze. Asta, Yuno and Feodora's eyes widened in realization as they seemed to have recognized their surroundings.

"Insane amount of mana--" Feodora said, "--All in one spot--"

"--Whispers coming from within--" Yuno said, "--Don't tell me this is--"

Though Asta couldn't sense it, he had a pretty good idea of where they were right now. "... The Wandering Mist."

The Chief soon jumped when one of the Bandits let out a scream. He started to back up as held weapon to what had been in front of him; though much to their surprise they didn't see anything.

"MO-MONSTER!" He yelled, "IT'S A MONSTER! GET IT AWAY FROM ME!"

"What are you talking about, there's nothing there!" The Chief told him.

"GET IT AWAY!" The Bandit shouted before he ran into the mist, "GO AWAY!"

They soon jumped when another started to scream, before they started to swing their weapon at whatever it was they were seeing, before he took off running. Most of the others soon succumbed to the same thing as they started to take off into the mist from whatever it had been.

"GET BACK HERE YOU COWARDS!!" The Chief yelled.

The Chief soon flinched at a sound, as it had appeared to have come from behind. That was when he heard a voice.

"BREAK AND TEAR…SKIN TO BONE… ASH TO DUST… DECAY AND BE FREE…"

The Chief's line of vision became a blur before he noticed a set of striking white eyes appear within the mist. What had been in the form of a beast soon emerged causing him to pale and scream at the top of his lungs. Asta, Yuno and Feodora saw that he had fallen on his back before they saw something drag him into the mist.

The Chief attempted to crawl away, though it had been of no use. He cried out and screamed, "NOO!"

And just like that, he vanished within; the magic soon broke apart, allowing the three teens to be free. They sat themselves up, as they looked around.

"The Wandering Mist…" Asta said as he looked around, "... I can't believe we're actually inside the Wandering Mist!"

"Why do you sound so happy about that!?" Feodora shouted before her body started to shake, "We're in the Wandering Mist! The place said to take the souls of mages, Magic Knights, even the Witches! This is the LAST place we wanna be in right now!"

"O-Oh right!" Asta said, "I forgot about that!"

"DON'T JUST FORGET ABOUT STUFF LIKE THAT DUM-DUM!" Feodora shouted.

Yuno looked around the area again before he came to realize something, "We should've been seeing whatever it was they were seeing by now…" He said to them calmly, "... Those guys started to see whatever the mist wanted them to see almost immediately. I wonder why we're not affected?"

"Don't wonder why!" Feodora said, "We need to go before--YIPE!"

Feodora suddenly fell flat on her face making Asta and Yuno jump. "Feo!" Asta exclaimed, running over to her, "You okay!?"

"Ow--" She groaned as she rubbed her nose, "--I think my foot caught on something."

The mist soon cleared up a little as they saw what her foot had caught on; they saw that her foot had been underneath that of a large tree root in an odd color of gray. They managed to get her foot unstuck as they couldn't help but look at it with curious eyes.

"That root wasn't there before right?" Asta said.

"I don't think so." Feodora said as she rubbed her ankle.

Yuno soon looked behind him, "Look!"

The two of them looked over their shoulders and saw the ground had been practically uprooted or in the ground; some roots were large and some had been small, as they stretched to as far as the eye can see. "Am I--Hallucinating right now?" Feodora said, "Are you guys seeing this?"

"Ye-yeah." Asta said, "And I'm not believing it."

They soon stepped in what looked to be water; it was clear and they saw signs of fish moving about. "This can't be Hage Village…" Yuno said as he looked around, "... Could it?"

The roots started to light up in a rhythmic sort of way making them jump; The light seemed to flow along the roots, as it went towards something. Curious to what it might be, Asta started to follow it. "Asta!" Yuno called out as he started to follow him, "Asta wait!"

"Guys!" Feodora shouted as she started to run after them, "Where the hell are you going!?"

Asta ran along the tree roots as he hopped over a couple of them. The water had gotten deeper and the roots became thicker; the sounds he had been hearing became significantly louder, and the mist seemed to have gotten thicker. Just as he was getting closer to the sound, he jumped back when he had been face to face with that of a skull as he couldn't help but let out a scream.

Yuno and Feodora jumped at the sight too as they noticed the skeleton had vines and moss growing along it, and the skull looked to be cracked. The root of the tree appeared to have gone through the rib cage as the vines had been growing around it.

"WHAT'S THAT DOING HERE!?" Asta shouted.

Yuno seemed to have noticed a dozen more along the roots as they had been in the same state as the skeleton before them. Some had a significant amount of moss growing along them while some others still had on torn up old clothing. He noticed the various different emblems on their clothing as they had appeared to be from different kingdoms even what looked to be witches.

"What could've happened here?" Yuno had wondered aloud.

"Guys, we should go!" Feodora said, "This place is giving me the creeps!"

"Hold on--!" Asta said, "--I gotta see where these roots lead!"

"WHAT DIFFERENCE IS THAT GOING TO MAKE!?" Feodora shouted, "WE MIGHT JUST END UP DE--!"

The three of them had been taken back by a blinding light, as some of the mist seemed to have disappeared. As their vision became clear, they noticed a large tree in the middle of all the roots; it looked to have primroses blooming along it's branches and leaves. In the middle of the trunk looked to be a bulge of some kind as it had been shining; the light seemed to have converged on the bulge as they saw weapons had been laying about. Some looked rusted while others looked new.

They could hear some sort of humming sound coming from it appeared to be transparent.

They could almost swear they had seen the silhouette of two figures inside the bulge; they could see roots sticking to the two of them. Asta was drawn to it, like a moth to that of a flame.

It hadn't been long before they saw an eye appear from the silhouette; the pupil had been silted and had been that of white, making them jump again.

"There's a person in there…" Asta said softly before enunciating, "... There's a person in there!!" He soon took one of the weapons which had been a battle axe as he started to rush towards it, "We have to help them!"

"Are you crazy!?" Feodora exclaimed, "We don't know what that thing is!"

Yuno had said, as he followed Asta's lead, "Asta, we have to be careful!"

Asta had said to him, "I KNOW, BUT WE GOTTA SAVE THEM!"

Feodora groaned as she dragged her hands down on her face, "You're such pain in the ass, shorty!"

Feodora soon manifested her ice claws before she followed behind the two boys. When Asta had gotten close enough he had started to swing with all his might against the tree. Though he ended up stumbling a bit due to the weight of the axe.

"Oh man, so heavy!" Asta groaned.

"You seriously don't think, do you?" Feodora groaned as she started to scratch up the tree.

"Hang on, fool." Yuno said as he conjured a bit of wind to help steady him.

Asta's eyes brightened as he said, "Thanks Yuno!"

Just like that Asta started to swing the axe again, as Feodora started to get more aggressive against the tree trunk. None of them seemed to have noticed that the tree had glowed more violently as they continued their onslaught on the tree. That was until Asta broke as they had suddenly been taken back by another bright light as well as what appeared to be that of steam and water as they felt a ring go off in their ears.

By the time they opened their eyes, they found the mist had been cleared and they had been in front of an ordinary tree; the axe Asta had been holding had been broken as they recovered from the blast.

They turned back towards the tree to find that it had been that of an ordinary tree that looked to be blown part by something, as it had been split right down the middle. The grass around them looked to be dead as around it had been in the color of a golden brown.

As they stood up, they noticed what looked to be that of white flames around what once was the large tree. A hand soon emerged from the wreckage, making them alert; the hand from the arm up, still appeared to be connected to the roots.

A person--A young girl no more than fourteen soon climbed out from the tree, as her hair had been long and silver; as she stood, it had reached up to her ankles as her bangs had been overgrown, partially covering her face; her white eyes glowed dimly like that of a candle.

The outfit she wore had been that of a blue turtleneck that had been torn in the middle revealing that of a scar in the middle of her chest; there had been a burn scar along her right arm as she had on a fingerless glove that covered most of it but had reached up her elbow, while she had an arm sleeve on the other. She had on a light grey hakama jacket with a brown band tied around it her stomach as it had a wave design along it. She had on a set of brown pants, with blue leggings and brown boots.

Around her neck she had on a red bend and what looked to be a moon medallion that hung loosely and she looked as tall as Asta had been.

The three of them got themselves ready to fight as the girl only looked onto them. The roots soon detached from her body, suddenly causing the girl to flinch when one removed itself from the back of her neck; the white eyes seemed to change into that of lilac purple as she had staggered, before she fell forward.

Immediately Asta had acted.

He dashed over to the girl and had caught her just as her body had gone limp; that's when Asta saw what looked to be scars resembling claws that had been neck reaching underneath her chin and right side of her cheek. Yuno and Feodora soon went to Asta's side as he held her. They saw the wounds, the roots made along her back, arms and even the legs had closed up at a fast rate as they didn't even leave behind anything.

Feodora canceled her magic as she poked her cheek getting no reaction from her, not even a flinch.

"Is she--" Feodora started to say, "--Is she dead?"

Yuno had replied, "I'm not sure."

Asta put his hand to her mouth as he could feel air coming out of it.

"She's still breathing." Asta replied before he set her against what remained of the tree trunk, "I think she's just knocked out."

Her hand soon twitched as her eyes started to move. In a few short moments they opened as they saw the lilac purple eyes again; through her eyes appeared to be on Asta.

She spoke as her voice sounded strained and weak.

"I…" She started to say, "... Need to… Ask you something…"

"What?" Asta said with concern.

"Please…" The girl said, "... Come closer…"

Asta leaned in closer, "What is it?"

The girl tried to move as she struggled to speak again though--

"You got any food on you?" She soon asked as her tone changed, as her eyes lit up.

Asta, Yuno and Feodora had been taken back at this as they were surprised to hear her sound strangely normal. She soon groaned as she put her arms around her stomach, "God, I am so hungry I could eat a whole house if I wanted to! Wait--Scratch that, maybe even two houses!"

The three of them looked to one another a bit shocked.

"Uh--" Asta said, "--We don't have food right now. We got a lot of it back at the church."

The girl soon noticed her surroundings before she flipped up suddenly making them jump back as she had successfully landed on her feet.

"What happened?" The girl asked looking around, jumping at the length of her hair, "What's going on?"

"That's our line!!" Feodora shouted, "We're more confused than you are right now!"

Yuno placed his hand on Feodora's shoulder to calm her down before he asked the silver haired girl, "Who are you? How did you get in that tree?"

The girl rubbed the back of her head; they could hear the bones in her neck cracking. "Your question as to how I got here, is as good as mine buddy." She said as she stretched feeling more of her bones pop.

Before they could say anything more, they heard what sounded to be a groan, coming from within the tree. The girl before them seemed to have recognized it, as she rushed to climb inside, nearly tripping herself as she did. She sat along the edge before her expression brightened at the sight of what it had been.

They saw her kick herself off as she leaped inside opening her arms wide.

"Adrien!" They heard her say, "Are you okay? Come on bud! Time to wake up!"

"I guess she must have a friend in there." Feodora said.

Asta had said, "Let's check it out!"

He soon started to climb up into the tree before Feodora and Yuno started to follow. Just as they had gotten to the top, they were shocked to see what exactly had been inside as Asta and Feodora's jaw dropped while Yuno looked shocked.

The girl had been trying to move that of a reptile with two hind legs and a set of claw hands and had that of a long tail; it's body had been large and it looked to have grey scales with a pair of small horns as one appeared to be cracked on the top of its head. Along its neck it appeared to have white streaks going along it as it had a brown pouch wrapped around its waist and a large saddle on its back. Along with the brown pouch it also appeared to have a sheath of some kind along with a bow and a couple of arrows.

The girl had been making efforts to get the creature to stand up, as she lifted its face before it surprised her when its head suddenly went between her legs making her hop onto its neck; the creature's eyes had revealed to be a golden color as it's pupils had been narrow and thin as it tilted his head.

It looked happy to see her as he seemed to make a purr noise.

"Adrien!" The girl cheered as she hugged his neck before scratching it causing its leg to kick, "You're okay!"

The creature let out that of a purr before it stood up on its hind legs making it taller; the girl slid off as it shook itself making what appeared to be a squawk before it yawned revealing its sharp teeth.

"Okay… Not the weirdest thing I've seen all day." Feodora said as she couldn't help but scratch her head.

"That--Can't be what I think it is." Yuno said dumbfounded.

Asta had shouted, "WHAT IS THAT CREATURE?!"

"This is Adrien!" The girl replied with a smile as she scratched the creature's head, "He's my raptor!"

Asta's eyes sparkled at this as he said in awe, "A RAPTOR!? THAT'S SO COOL!"

"A raptor?" Feodora said, "One of the rarest of the rare magical beasts around from all across the kingdoms? Right--" She soon pointed to Yuno as she added in a sarcastic tone, "--And this Yuno, King of Giants."

The raptor one named Adrien, suddenly started to pull it's head back a couple of times, before it let out a sneeze; just as he did the girl ducked and Asta, Yuno and Feodora jumped out of the way at the last second just as they saw a light blue ray of light come out of his mouth after he let out a sneeze.

The three of them looked shocked as they saw the blast had left behind a trail of fire.

"Sorry!" The girl said awkwardly as she fixed up her outfit, "He has allergies."

"ALLERGIES!? THAT'S WHAT YOU CALL IT!" Feodora shouted.

The girl laughed awkwardly before she turned to Asta, "So then--Do you and your friends live around here?"

"That's ri--" Asta started to say before he had a set of hands slapped over his mouth.

"Don't answer that dum-dum!" Feodora said, as she dragged him back, making the girl tilt her head in confusion.

"Hey, hey!" Asta said as he got out of Feodora's grip, "What's wrong with you!?"

"Remember that light we saw a few seconds ago before we got blinded!?" Feodora said to him, "That was a wave of mana! She was probably using that to signal more bandits! Or worse--A terrorist group from the other kingdoms!"

Asta and Yuno looked over to the girl as she still looked confused as to what they were talking about. "Sure…" Yuno said sarcastically, "She's a spy from the Heart, Diamond and or Spades Kingdom. You can tell by the evil look she has in her eye."

The girl only gave an awkward smile when they looked towards her again. "Sorry--" Yuno said, before he gestured to them, "--The paranoid one is Feodora, and this is Asta."

"I'M NOT BEING PARANOID KNOW IT ALL!" Feodora yelled with a hiss.

"What about you?" Asta soon asked the girl, "You still haven't told us your name."

"Oh right!" The girl said, "My name is--ACHOO!!"

The moment the girl sneezed her voice seemed to have echoed before she sent herself flying in the air; the three of them nearly got knocked over by a sudden breeze. The minute she came back down, using the branches around her own hair had been a mess like she had just gotten out of bed.

"--I'm Prism!" The girl finished before she scratched her nose a bit.

"You just sneezed, and flew ten feet in the air!" Feodora said, just shocked.

"Wait seriously?!" The girl named Prism said as she looked up, "Okay, that's a new one for me, but I could've sworn I went higher than that."

The three of them looked confused, before Asta noticed something about her. "Hey your ears--!" Asta said, pointing to it.

"Hmm?" Prism said before she realized what he had been looking at, "Oh! You wanna see?"

She soon pulled back her hair revealing to the three of them what her ears had looked like. They saw that her ears had small points as they couldn't help but look with awe. "Whoa!" Asta said, "I've never seen people have ears like that before!"

"That's because I'm not human, at least not entirely." Prism soon replied with a smile, "I'm part elf."

At this, they looked surprised, especially Yuno as his eyes widened. "You're a real elf?" Yuno asked as he had been shocked.

"Part elf." Prism had corrected as she set her hair back down, "I know it's hard to tell, especially since my hair is mostly silver and I'm on the short side, but it's true!"

"That is so cool!" Asta said as his eyes sparkled.

Feodora soon gave a forced laugh, "Okay--Wandering Mist, girl in tree, magical raptor and now she says she's an elf--"

"Half!" Prism soon corrected again.

"Whatever." Feodora said before she turned around, "This has been a weird day even by my standards, so if you all don't mind, I'm just gonna go back home where stuff… Makes sense?"

Just as Feodora turned around to leave she had just realized exactly where they were; it hadn't been long before Asta and Yuno noticed too. They found out they had been standing in the middle of a large lake as the tree had been on a small yet spacious island as they had gotten a clear view of the twilight sky.

"... I don't think this is Hage Village…" Asta said just plain shocked.

"This Mist--" Yuno said, "--It must've brought us out here."

"Well what do you know?" Feodora said, "It really does wander."

"Everything good here?" Prism asked.

"We're a bit far from where we live." Asta replied.

Yuno soon looked across, "I recognize that path from the maps. It should take us back to the Village. Though even if we find a way across it might take a whole night to get back."

"Not to mention we have to get back with tonight's dinner, which is probably where we left it." Feodora added before she groaned, "Father Orsi's is gonna kill us for being gone this long."

Prism looked to them with slight concern before she looked to Adrien as she thought of an idea. "Well--" She said, as they turned back to her, "--If you guys are in a hurry, Adrien and I can give you a lift."

Prism gave the raptor a couple of taps on the neck and he sat himself down allowing her to climb on; though they could've sworn his size changed slightly. "Really!?" Asta said before he sat himself behind her, "That's awesome, thanks!"

"We'll take you up on your offer." Yuno said with a smile as he followed Asta's lead.

"I am not getting on that lizard." Feodora argued as she crossed her arms.

"Then you're gonna stay here as supposed to have someone kind enough to bring you back home--" Yuno soon said, "--And NOT have Father Orsi and Sister Lily worry?"

Feodora had been about to argue though found it to be pointless as she groaned; in the next second she had been sitting behind Yuno as she didn't look pleased.

Prism on the other hand she looked excited. "Alrighty!" She said as she smiled, "First time riders, you're in for a treat!" She took hold of the brown straps and Adrien stood up so that they were practically higher from the ground. She soon got him to face forward towards the water. They noticed that Adrien had started to back up, gaining some distance from the water.

"Adrien--" She soon said, "--Leap of Faith."

Adrien suddenly started to run towards the water surprising them as he started to gain speed. Then the moment he had gotten towards the edge he had leaped high in the sky making them scream. Though they were surprised as ever when Adrien had been practically leaping across the water as if he had been a rock skipping across the lake.

They soon had gotten to shore as Adrien skidded across the floor making a small dirt cloud.

"Wow!" Asta said in awe, "That was so cool!"

"Right?" Prism said with a smile giving him an affectionate pat on the neck, "Adrien's faster than every other animal I know. He can even outrun a raging boar! He'll get you guys back home in no time!" She soon readied Adrien again, "Now, which way's your village?"

"Follow the path." Yuno replied, "We might want to make a quick stop first before getting back home."

"Okay!" She said with a salute, "Adrien, hup-hup!"

Adrien soon took off running again along the path as they could feel the breeze go by them as he ran along the dirtied path as Asta, Yuno and Feodora held on tightly as they were doing their best not to fall off.

***

As day turned to night they found themselves back in the village in no time at all; they lead Prism back towards the church where they stayed. Thankfully not a lot of people were out in the village, so no one would question why there had been a girl riding a raptor.

Prism looked over her shoulder to see that of a large skull which she couldn't help but be intrigued at. "Hey!" Asta soon said, "The church's up ahead!"

Prism looked forward to seeing a couple of people standing at the front looking very concerned. She could see one had been a priest while the other was a nun.

Asta soon waved over as he called out, "FATHER ORSI! SISTER LILY!"

The two of them seemed to have noticed them as their expressions brightened.

"There you are!" Father Orsi said with a sigh, "Where have you three been-"

Father Orsi nearly let out a scream as Prism rode in on Adrien; she slowed him down before he stopped. "Evening Father and Sister!" Prism greeted with a smile as she calmed Adrien down when he jumped a little, "I believe you were looking for these three."

Father Orsi had yelled, out of surprise, "WH-WHAT IS THAT CREATURE?!"

"Isn't it cool?!" Asta said, "It's a raptor!"

Father Orsi had shouted, "A RAPTOR!?"

"Oh my!" Lily said.

Prism tapped on Adrien's neck as he sat himself down, allowing them to climb off; she helped out in getting the groceries.

"What in the world happened!?" Orsi asked them, "Who is this girl!?"

"That's kind of a funny story." Feodora replied.

"We ran into Bandits on the way back." Asta soon explained, "They bought a whole tribe and they were going to raid the Village. Prism here saw what was going on and helped us."

Prism couldn't but look confused while Lily had said, "You mean, this young girl helped you?"

"Yes." Yuno replied, "We wouldn't have made it home without her."

Prism had been taken by surprise when Father Orsi gave her a hug suddenly. "Thank you for saving my boys and Feodora!"

"Uh--" Prism started to say with a strained voice, "--No problem?"

Father Orsi had added, "Seriously thank you! You have no idea how much trouble they cause! Yuno sometimes, because he's such a good kid!"

"Huh?" Prism said as she was more confused.

"HEY!" Asta and Feodora yelled.

"HELLO, WE ALMOST DIED!!" Feodora shouted.

Asta added, "YOU COULD AT LEAST SAID YOU WERE WORRIED ABOUT US!"

Father Orsi had said, "Quiet you two!"

Both of them had growled as they glared at him. Prism couldn't help but laugh at this sort of thing before she found herself stumbling and collapsing on her knees. "Oh my gosh, are you okay!?" Asta exclaimed.

Prism smiled in reassurance, "Yeah I'm fine."

They soon heard her stomach let out a monstrous growl, making her blush out of embarrassment. She laughed sheepishly, "I--Guess I'm just really hungry."

Lily helped her up and had said with a smile, "Well you're in luck. With the ingredients we have, we'll be able to make pot potato pie."

At this Prism's eyes brightened, "You guys make pot potato pie?! I love that dish!"

Asta said with a smile, "HEY ME TOO!"

"Really?!" She said, "A lot of people always told me pot potato pie tastes terrible, but it's not!"

"I was telling people the exact same thing!" He said.

"Well--" Father Orsi said, "--You're welcome to join us Prism. It's the least we can do after you helped save them today!"

"I'd love to!" Prism replied, before she asked, "Do you think you'd have enough to feed Adrien? He'll eat pretty much anything you put in front of him."

The group looked to Adrien as he let out a yawn while licking his lips. Father Orsi cleared his throat as he said, "I suppose he can join us."

Thus they went inside the church with Adrien following behind them.

***

After a while, the dinner preparations were made, as the kids were excited to see the new visitor as well as her pet. The moment the food had been set down she had gladly helped herself to seconds and thirds. All the kids had stared in awe at her as each and every one of them had been curious.

It hadn't been long before she finished her tenth plate as she sat back in her seat, while Adrien happily ate from his own bowl of roasted potatoes along with a few scraps of meat; his saddle along with the rest of what they assumed was Prism's belongings, had been set aside as they sat along the wall.

"Whew--!" She said as she patted her stomach, "--That really hit the spot!"

"You weren't kidding when you said you were starving before." Feodora said.

"That Sister of yours is a really good cook!" Prism had commented, "I can't remember the last time I ate a pot potato pie that good!"

Asta said as his eyes had been filled with stars, "Sister Lily is the best when it comes to cooking! That's why she's gonna be my wife someday!"

Prism looked confused again, "But… She's a nun. My father and uncle always told me stuff like that is forbidden when you're a nun."

Asta soon said, filled with determination, "THAT'S NOT GONNA STOP ME!!"

Yuno said as he drank from his glass of water, "You really need to let that go.."

Prism couldn't help but laugh at this sort of thing. "Hey don't laugh!" Asta said, "I'm serious!"

"I know." Prism replied, surprising him as he saw she had a smile, "I just find it really cute!"

Asta's jaw dropped slightly at this as he had been just plain shocked. Though the thought soon left him as the kids soon gathered around Prism.

"Your hair is so pretty!" The child named Holo said.

"Where are you from?" Another one by the name of Recca said.

"Where did you get a raptor?" A third named Nash asked.

"Are you going to stay?" One named Aruru asked.

"Now, now everyone settle down." Father Orsi said to them, "I know you're all curious about the newcomer, but I'm sure after she's filled her belly, she'll have to return home."

At this Prism's look changed slightly, "Actually--" She started to say taking most of them back, "--I don't know if I can."

"What do you mean?" Yuno asked.

"Well--" Prism said, sounding oddly nervous, "--This is kind of embarrassing but, I don't know where home is."

"Oh you poor thing." Lily said sympathetically.

"Wait a minute, how do you not know where home is?" Feodora asked.

"I'm not sure." Prism replied as she shrugged, "I think I must've hit my head or something after I got separated from my family."

Asta couldn't help but say, "That's awful! No one should be separated from their family!"

"Do you know where you saw them last?" Yuno asked.

Prism tried to recall though she found her head throbbing at the mere thought, "Sorry… I don't think I can remember."

Father Orsi let out a sigh, "Well that just won't do now will it?"

Prism looked confused by this sort of thing before Father Orsi had told her, "You can stay with us until that memory of your kicks in!"

"Really?" Prism said, surprised, "I'd hate to impose more than I already have."

"It'll be just fine." He reassured her, "We've already housed this many children, what's the harm in taking in one more?"

"Please big sister?" Aruru pleaded.

"Please stay!" Recca added, "It's been so long since we had a visitor!"

Prism looked in the eyes of the children as they gave her a pleading look. Her heart couldn't help but tug at her heart; she just couldn't say no to faces like that. "I… Guess it wouldn't hurt to stick around for a little bit."

The kids couldn't help but cheer at this, as Asta seemed to be happy as well, while Feodora remained skeptical. Yuno however, seemed to be intrigued about the girl as she couldn't help but hug the first kid that jumped into her lap.

After dinner and the children each had their bath, it had been time to call it a night. Lily had been kind enough to lend Prism a night gown for the night till they could get her own wear with the little money they had; though she had reassured them that she didn't mind it as much; Not even Adrien minded sleeping outside.

She had set up just on the far end of the room as she set her mat just in the center, by the childrens request. Asta had been assisting her with setting everything up making sure it had been nice and comfortable.

"Sorry about this." Asta said, rubbing the back of his head, "We don't normally get people like you coming around the Church, and we're mostly used to sharing everything, so if you start to feel uncomfortable—"

"That's alright Asta, I don't mind." Prism reassured him, "It'll be just like a sleep over."

Feodora rolled her eyes as she gave an annoyed groan; all of the children soon gathered around the young girl. "Hey big sister?" Hola started to say, "What's your raptors name?"

"His name is Adrien." Prism replied, "And he's actually a magical beast."

"Really?" Hola asked with awe.

"Really." She answered with a smile and a wink.

"Can we ride him tomorrow?" Aruru asked.

Prism pretended to give it some thought, "I don't know about riding him--" She soon said to them, "--How about I show you kids this new game I invented with Adrien?"

At this they had brightened as they looked excited as they couldn't help but jump. "Hey!" Feodora said, "If you guys are done, I'd like to get some sleep." She soon turned over to Asta and Yuno, "And you guys oughta get some rest. We got some training to do tomorrow after chores!"

"Training?" Prism said, before looking to Asta, Yuno as he laid back on his mattress and Feodora, "What do you guys do that for?"

"It's for the entrance exams!" Asta replied, "Once we receive our Grimoires, we have to train to become a part of an exam, so we can see which Magic Knight squad we get into!"

Prism couldn't help but tilt her at this sort of thing as she gave a curious look, "Magic… Knights? What's a Magic Knight?"

The three of them couldn't help but look surprised at this sort of thing. "You're kidding right?" Feodora asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I hope I'm not." She said, "But seriously, are they important?"

"You don't really know much, do you Miss?" Nash asked her taking Prism back a bit.

"Why don't we all get some sleep?" Recca suggested, "We can tell her more about it in the morning."

Most of the group had agreed as they blew the lantern out; However as most of the kids as well as Asta and Feodora seemed to sleep, Prism just couldn't find herself doing so. She looked out the window as she saw the moon glow dimly and the stars a lit as if they had been fireflies, in the night as she had the biggest smile on her face.

She giggled as she played the medallion around her neck.

"The sky's awake…" She whispered to herself.

"Hey… Prism?"

Prism looked to her side as she saw Yuno wide awake as he had been laying on his side. "Oh, hey Yuno." Prism whispered, "You thinking about something?"

"I was just thinking…" Yuno started to say, "... You being an elf in all… In one of the books I read… It talked about the Lost Heir to the Clover Kingdom that was born among your people… I just need to know, is the story true?"

Prism's expression seemed to have changed at this sort of thing; Yuno saw that her face had a look that seemed to have reeked with anxiety.

Though eventually she gave her reply, "... It's true."

Yuno seemed to be more intrigued at this, "Then… Do you know who the Heir is?"

"N-No." She replied sounding hesitant, "I mean, I know OF him, and, I knew people that knew him but--I've never actually met him… Sorry."

Yuno let out a sigh at this, as his own expression changed, "... I see. Sorry for bothering you."

Prism shook her head, "It's alright Yuno. I can't really blame you for being curious."

Yuno soon turned on his side as she said, "Good night then."

"Sleep tight." She said before doing the same.

Thus, Yuno drifted off into his own dreamworld; little did he know however the look on Prism's face had changed to that of worry and fear.

***

The tree in the middle of the lake had been long since dead, though many people seemed to have gathered around it as they looked to be investigating the tree, using various types of magic with the help of their Grimoires. Each of these people wore various types of robes; each had two different emblems.

One had an insignia of a sun, and the other had been that of a bull.

Two of the men with the black bull insignia had been examining the dead and withered roots; one had been a fifteen year old boy whose skin was a dark complexion, with wavy fluffy white hair with cyan highlights on the spikes. His appearance was a grey blue blouse with blue pants and brown eyes. He had a pair of sapphire pearl earrings.

Next to him had been a man with a muscular build as he had grey eyes and black medium hair that had been messy and combed back as he appeared to have a mustache and beard growing in. He had on a set of trousers with an extra layer of tan leather and a belt had been around his waist as it was the only thing supporting it. He wore a white tattered A-shirt as he appeared to be smoking a cigarette.

"Hey Sword boy." The man asked as he took a puff, "Can you give a guess on what happened here?"

The boy replied, "It appears that the tree's life force was drained away by some kind of mana."

Another man soon approached the two of them as he had on a white robe with the golden sun, as he wore a mask and a set of purple eyes.

"Whatever was inside this tree is long gone." He said, "Though they couldn't have traveled far."

The boy let out a sigh as he said, "What if they're from the enemy kingdom?"

The man with the cigarette had said, "Don't know. Even if it was, why did that wave of mana come from within Clover?"

"Captain Yami! Captain William!"

They looked over and saw a young man with brown hair and a green shirt approached them, "We found some people inside the tree roots! They appear to be bandits!"

The three of them removed themself from the tree trunk as they saw within the roots that connected back to the tree; most of the men had pulled them out as the Bandits themselves had appeared to be covered in water and appeared to be frozen with fear.

"They're still alive!" One of the mages had said.

The man named Yami said, "Finally, now we can question them as to what the hell this is."

Yami soon grabbed ahold of the Chief surprising him before he pleaded, "Don't kill me! Don't kill me please!"

Yami said to him, "Take it easy pal, we're not gonna kill ya… Yet."

"Can you tell us what happened here?" The other captain, by the name of William asked.

"The Mist!" The Chief said, sounding hysterical, "The Mist trapped us in the tree! The voice in the Mist told us, we had to pay for our sins! It told us to pay for our sins, with our lives and mana!"

Yami took a puff from his cigarette as he didn't seem to buy it, "You sure you're not on something right now?"

"It's true!" The Chief cried out, "It said it was for the girl!"

The expression on the teenage boy's face changed as he went up to the Chief, "What girl!?"

"A-A half-elf! It said it was for a half-elf girl!" The Bandit Chief said, "I always thought they were just a legend, but the voice told us it needed our mana for her!"

The boy appeared to have looked shocked as he looked to be processing this sort of information as well as the two captains. He said as he was trying real hard not to collapse suddenly or faint, "Y-You're kidding.."

"Then could it be, that this tree had been carrying--" William started to say as he looked at the dead tree again.

Yami said as he sighed while dropping the Chief of Bandits, while turning to the young teen, "Hey, Pluck? You think it's that friend you and your folks won't shut up about?"

The young teen named Pluck had replied as he appeared to be in tears, "It is! Without a doubt! Damn it! That stupid girl! I never thought she would make it!"

Yami said to him patting him on the back, "There there.."

William soon turned to his comrades, telling one in particular, "Langris. Send word to the Wizard King immediately, but make sure you are discrete, to even our country's King."

"Yes Captain." The young man named Langris replied, "What shall you have me tell him?"

"Just tell him--" William soon said, "--The Heir has returned."