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Strange use of Magic (Black Clover AU) Chapter 83: Strange Beach Episode (3)
🕑 Added 2024-12-04 20:36:57 +0000 UTC[Third Person's PoV]
After Yami finished giving everyone the rundown of their next mission, Stephen stayed behind. He wanted to talk to Yami.
“So, I’m curious, how did the conference with the other Magic Knight Captains go? Is there, like, a search warrant for the Golden Dawn Captain?” Stephen asked, raising an eyebrow.
Yami took a drag from his cigarette, exhaling from the corner of his mouth. “Well, for starters, he didn’t show up to the meeting. The Wizard King wants to keep things under wraps for now. If the public found out that not one but two Magic Knight Captains betrayed the kingdom, it’d cause too much unrest—especially if one of those captains is the Golden Goose,” Yami said.
“Wait, there was another Magic Knight Captain?” Stephen asked, his brow furrowing.
“Yup. The Captain of the Purple Orcas. He tried to escape, but Asta caught him before he got far,” Yami replied with a smirk. “Thanks to the runt and his Anti-Magic—which dispelled the spells keeping our captives quiet—we found out the Eye of the Midnight Sun is after the Magic Stones. So, the Wizard King sent us on a mission to get them before they do.”
“Is that all you know?” Stephen pressed.
Yami narrowed his eyes. “You’ve found something out, haven’t you?” he asked, already guessing based on Stephen’s behavior.
Stephen nodded. “Quite a few things, actually. For example… what their true goals are and why they’re really doing this.”
Stephen went on to explain what Nero had told him about the Eye of the Midnight Sun, their true identity as elves, their plan to use the Magic Stones, and how a devil had manipulated events to bring everything to this point.
As Stephen spoke, Yami’s expression shifted from surprise to disbelief, then settled into seriousness.
“How reliable are your sources?” Yami asked, staring Stephen straight in the eye.
“They witnessed it all and were part of it,” Stephen said, causing Yami to take a step back.
Yami focused on Stephen’s Ki and confirmed he wasn’t lying. “But didn’t you say this happened 500 years ago? How are you in contact with this source?”
“You’re looking at her,” Stephen explained.
“Wanda?” Yami asked, leaning to the side to see Wanda practicing magic with Noelle.
“What? No. Her,” Stephen replied, pointing to the top of his head, where Nero sat with her usual deadpan expression.
“Alright, gramps, you’re losing me here. That’s a bird. Don’t tell me you’re already starting to go senile,” Yami said with a raised eyebrow.
Stephen rolled his eyes and raised two fingers, activating Nero’s Astral Projection, which only Yami could see.
Yami blinked, the cigarette dangling loosely from his mouth. He put his hands on his hips and let out a tired sigh. “So you mean to tell me that bird you’ve been carrying around all this time was a little girl?”
“I’m not a little girl,” Secre said with her trademark deadpan look.
Yami’s expression grew serious. “So you’re the source of this information. Who are you really?”
Secre held the hem of her dress slightly as she introduced herself. “My name is Secre Swallowtail, and I was the servant of the First Wizard King.”
Yami gave Stephen a strange look. “What is it with you and finding women who are ancient history? Is it a gift, or are you just attracted to grannies?”
“Don’t call me a granny,” Secre snapped, glaring at him.
Ignoring her, Yami continued smoking. “Thanks for letting me know. Now we know what we’re up against and can plan accordingly. But it doesn’t change what we have to do. We still need to retrieve the Magic Stones.”
“I wouldn’t worry about that. We already have one,” Stephen said.
“We do?” Yami asked, looking confused.
Stephen nodded. “During our first mission with Magna, the village gave us the Magic Stone as a thank-you for rescuing them. That’s what the attackers were after.”
“I see. That accounts for two out of three,” Yami said with a nod.
“I can use the Magic Stone to perform a locator spell to find the last one,” Stephen suggested.
Yami nodded but added, “Let’s do that after we finish this mission. We can’t rush. Rushing leads to mistakes, and we might miss something important.”
“Anyway, welcome,” Yami said with a smirk, looking at Secre.
“Welcome?” Secre asked, confused.
“Yeah. I’m welcoming you to the Black Bulls,” Yami said, turning to leave. He waved a hand dismissively. “You can’t decline.”
“I—” Secre was at a loss for words.
“Don’t thank me. You’ve already helped us and gone on missions with Stephen. That makes you a member,” Yami said nonchalantly.
He started walking away but then began moving awkwardly. From the perfect distance, Stephen and Secre heard him mumble, “Damn it, where’s the nearest cubicle? All this talking and smoking makes me wanna take a crap.”
Stephen and Secre exchanged glances, shaking their heads before heading back to the others.
Once Yami saw they weren’t looking, he straightened up and resumed walking with his serious demeanor. ‘The work of a devil, huh? This is more serious than I thought,’ he thought silently.
…
It soon grew dark, and Wanda was sitting on a rock a short distance away from where Noelle was training her Sea Dragon’s Lair.
Stephen approached and sat beside Wanda on the rock. He noticed her gaze fixed on Noelle, deep in contemplation.
“So, what’s on your mind?” Stephen asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Huh?” Wanda blinked, snapping out of her thoughts.
“I saw you lost in thought and was wondering what’s on your mind,” Stephen said.
Wanda gave an awkward smile. “I’ve been thinking about how to grow stronger… When I see Noelle working so hard to improve, I feel the same way. The problem is, Noelle has a clear path ahead of her. She knows what her magic is, she has guidance from her grimoire, and she understands what she needs to do to get stronger. I don’t have any of that. I don’t even know what my magic truly is…”
She created a small sphere of her magic in her palm. “How can I hope to grow stronger when I don’t even know what I’m capable of?”
“Chaos Magic,” Stephen said, his eyes closed as he leaned back, then opened them to look at the moon, which wasn’t fully formed.
“What?” Wanda asked in surprise.
“Your magic—it’s Chaos Magic,” Stephen clarified.
Wanda stared at the glowing orb in her hand, a mix of curiosity and concern crossing her face. “That… doesn’t sound like a good thing,” she said with a wry smile. “Wait—have you known this whole time?”
“Kinda. I mean, anyone with decent magical senses could pick up on the chaotic nature of your magic,” Stephen shrugged.
“And you didn’t tell me because…?” Wanda pressed, her tone sharp.
“Because you didn’t ask?” Stephen replied with a raised eyebrow.
“Eh?” Wanda looked at him incredulously.
“A big part of magic is self-discovery and learning. I thought that with enough practice, you’d figure out the true nature of your magic on your own. But seeing how much you’re struggling, I couldn’t keep quiet any longer,” Stephen explained.
“I see… I still don’t like the name, though. Wait… is that why I was sealed? Because I can use Chaos Magic?” Wanda asked, the realization dawning on her.
“Probably. Chaos Magic is one of the most powerful forms of magic in existence. It allows its wielder to rewrite reality according to their whims,” Stephen explained.
“What?!” Wanda exclaimed in shock. “I really have that kind of power?”
Stephen nodded, and Wanda’s gaze dropped as a sad smile formed on her face. “I see why I was sealed then…”
“No.” Stephen’s firm voice interrupted her train of thought.
“Huh?”
“There was still no reason to seal you the way they did. You didn’t do anything wrong. You committed no crime to deserve such punishment.”
Wanda looked down again, a small, grateful smile tugging at her lips as Stephen’s words sank in. His anger on her behalf warmed her heart.
“I know what you’re thinking,” Stephen said, turning to her. Wanda met his gaze.
“That because of its name, you believe your magic is inherently bad or evil, right?”
Wanda chuckled weakly. “It’s not that far off.”
“But there’s no such thing as evil or bad magic—only evil or bad people. Magic is an extension of our will and desires. Let me give you an example,” Stephen said, extending his hand toward the sand below.
Using his magic, he called forth the sand, molding it into a ball that floated in his palm.
“Magic has no will of its own—it’s up to us to give it purpose,” Stephen said, gently taking Wanda’s hand and placing the sand ball into her palm.
With his hand over hers, he said, “Now, use your imagination alongside your magic. Picture this ball slowly transforming into a flower.”
“Can I really do that?” Wanda asked, her voice tinged with curiosity and doubt.
“All you have to do is will it, and reality will follow,” Stephen said, looking her in the eyes.
Wanda nodded, focusing intently on the sand ball in her hand. Her eyes glowed red as her magic activated. “Turn into a flower,” she willed silently.
Slowly, lines began forming on the surface of the sand ball. It started to unfurl, revealing a vibrant red center as the sand fell away. The transformation completed, leaving a beautiful red hibiscus flower in her palm.
A delighted smile spread across Wanda’s face as she gazed at the fully formed flower.
“Go on, smell it,” Stephen encouraged, lifting the flower to her nose.
Wanda leaned forward and sniffed it. “Whoa… it smells wonderful.”
Stephen took the flower and carefully tucked it behind her ear. “Now, tell me this,” he said with a confident smile.
He gestured, and fragments of the Mirror Dimension materialized, reflecting multiple images of Wanda and her new adornment.
Leaning slightly to the side to look at her reflection, Stephen said, “If this magic is so evil, how is it capable of creating something so beautiful?”
Wanda blinked in surprise, her face exploded into a blush as she realized he wasn’t just talking about the flower—he was talking about her.
She silently tucked her hair behind her ear and as she couldn't look at Stephen due to the blushing mess, she had become.
Comments
Luke Lindemann
Damn I see that Stephen went try hard gamer mode just now
Nieus The God Of Magic
Hey it fits man, grannies and grandpa,
Cobalt
Smug mf, is this you're casual way into admitting you've got game 🤣🤣
Bryan Vargas
It was good huh? 😏
Cobalt
Jesus stephan, dude wasn't kidding about dropping the oblivious act huh
Bryan Vargas
Lol, that's what mak was it so funny
alex hampton
You know Tami has a point with the grannies thing
