Chapter 10: Strange Moment to Remember

[Third Person's PoV] 

Stephen was sitting inside his grimoire in the magical library, grabbing a book titled The All-seeing Eye of Agamotto. However, there was another book in his hand, a Tome about the use of time magic.

"Are you sure it's wise to study two books at the same time?" Nero asked, sitting on the desk with her legs crossed, a hand resting on a book as she looked at Stephen strangely.

"Are you sure it's wise to be sitting on a table like that with such a short dress on?" Stephen retorted with a scoff.

Nero narrowed her eyes at him. "You're the pervert who's looking."

"You're the pervert sitting like that in front of me," Stephen shot back.

"What's that supposed to mean, 'in front of you'?" Nero asked defensively, narrowing her eyes. "Are you saying you're going to attack me or something?"

Stephen gained a teasing look and began wiggling his fingers toward her. "We're all alone in a library; no one would hear you."

Nero scoffed, swatting his hands away. "See? Like I said, pervert."

Stephen rubbed his hands and pouted, then narrowed his eyes at her. "I'll show you who's a pervert," he grumbled before jumping in and tickling her sides.

"Pfft! Hehehe! Stop it! Hahahaha!" Nero giggled and squirmed, trying to get away from Stephen's reach.

"Hahaha! Alright, alright! Hehehe! I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Nero laughed as she moved her book aside and grabbed Stephen's hands, pushing them away from her waist.

As Stephen used his arms for support, the sudden shift made him lose balance, tilting him forward toward Nero.

"Whoa~" Stephen muttered as he lost his balance.

He found himself face-to-face with Nero, who was seated on the table. His hands were planted behind her, boxing her in, while he was trapped between her legs. Both froze in place, unsure of what to do, staring into each other's eyes. The longer they stared, the redder their cheeks became.

The tension between them rose as their hands still touched.

"Are you going to move?" Nero mumbled shyly.

"I don't see you pushing me away…"

"Is that so… perhaps you're right," Nero muttered.

"Perhaps I am," Stephen replied, slowly pulling his hand back, Nero's hands following his.

Stephen softly flipped his hands over so Nero's hands were now resting on top of his. The size difference between them became apparent.

"You have such small, delicate hands," Stephen remarked, caressing her hands with his thumb.

"They only look that way because yours are so big and rough from all your exercise and hard work," she muttered, running her middle finger slowly across his rough palm.

Stephen lifted their hands slightly, aligning their fingers to emphasize the size difference further. Then, with a slight shift, he interlocked their fingers, holding her hand tightly.

They both blushed even harder as they looked back at each other. Nero quickly slipped her hand away, putting a hand on Stephen's chest and pushing him off slightly.

She hopped off the table, grabbed her book, and cleared her throat. "Um, we don't have much time here… You seemed really interested in what you were studying."

"Ah… yeah, that's right," Stephen muttered, backing away and sitting back in his seat while Nero did the same.

"So, this Eye of Agamotto… what exactly is it?" Nero asked, trying to regain her composure.

"Ah, let's see here," Stephen said, still distracted by what had just happened. "The All-seeing Eye of Agamotto is a powerful and mystical artifact that allows the user to see through illusions, mind control, and falsehoods. It's used to detect evil, unveil hidden magic, and reveal the truth. It can even release powerful bursts of mystical energy and be used offensively."

"Is it really that powerful?" Nero asked in amazement, the tension between them starting to dissipate.

"However, that's only its primary function," Stephen explained as he made an elaborate hand gesture, causing the amulet to slowly open its eye, revealing a glowing golden pupil.

Stephen closed his fist and rotated it backward, causing the eye to roll back in the amulet. A new compartment opened, revealing a glowing green stone.

"What powerful magic…" Nero muttered in awe.

"What?" Stephen asked, a bit taken aback.

Nero tilted her head in confusion. "Can't you feel it? That thing is pulsating with magical power. I didn't detect it before because of the amulet—it's blocking all sorts of energy from leaking or being detected."

Stephen paid closer attention, his eyes widening. "You're right… I can feel the magic power this thing possesses. That's incredible."

"If I had to guess, I'd say that apart from blocking detection, it allows the user to harness the power of whatever that stone is. What did you say its secondary function was?" Nero asked.

"Its secondary function is the ability to wield and learn time magic," Stephen said slowly, rolling his fist forward to close the amulet and conceal the stone once more.

"I see... So that stone must be some sort of Time Magic Stone," Nero muttered. "Stephen, who seriously were your parents? And why did they leave this stuff to you?"

"In all honesty, your guess is as good as mine," Stephen replied, his eyes narrowing at the books in front of him as his expression grew serious. "Since I don't know, the only thing I can do is grow stronger. So when the day comes that I do find out, I'll be ready."

Nero blushed at the sight of his focused expression. She quickly buried her face in her book so Stephen wouldn't see. Peeking over the top of it, she watched him ruffle his hair, running his fingers through the white patch—a gesture he subconsciously did when deep in thought.

Shaking off the thought, Stephen reopened his book and continued to study everything he could about the Eye of Agamotto and how to wield its power properly.

---

A Week Later...

After finishing a magical sparring session with Yuno, Stephen walked over to Asta, who was training hard as usual. Asta was more muscular now from his constant routine, his shirt off and sweat dripping down his body. He wielded his buster sword with one hand, creating powerful gusts of wind with each swing.

Exhausted, Asta dropped to one knee, using his sword for support, panting heavily.

"What are you doing here, Stephen?" Asta asked, too tired to muster his usual booming voice, his tongue hanging out like a panting dog.

"I wanted to try a spell on you," Stephen explained.

"Huh? What, am I your guinea pig?!?!" Asta suddenly found a burst of energy to shout before flopping to the ground and dropping his sword.

"Sure, go ahead, man. I don't mind," Asta said, lying on the ground, his chest rising and falling as he caught his breath.

"Thank you... Now, I've been dying to find out what your magic really is."

Stephen made a hand sign over his amulet, which slowly opened. His third inner eye also awakened due to the spell he was using. As the magic took hold, Stephen's eyes widened in shock. Something, or someone, seemed to be watching him.

Stephen slowly undid the spell, his expression turning tense.

Seeing this, Asta furrowed his brows in confusion. "What? Why do you have that look?"

"Asta… I mean this in the nicest way I could possibly muster but… What the fuck is wrong with you?" 

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