The Beginning Of Our Path (ON HIATUS)

Chapter 19: Hope, Love, and Light

So sorry it's been so long. My father has recovered and I am ready to write.

And this is the chapter we have been waiting for. :P

Noelle POV

"Sorry I took so long-" Asta lifted his blade, cutting through the magic ray, and Noelle remained unscathed. Unless you didn't count her foot. Noelle struggled to get up before holding onto the nearby wall for support. Her foot was bleeding, seeping through the white cloth of her legwarmers and oozed onto her toes, then a puddle at her feet.

"I- didn't. .. need to be saved-" The silva mumbled before stumbling to his side. Asta grinned, his lopsided grin that made Noelle's heart skip a beat, and her cheeks flushing a light pink. It also didn't help that she was getting light-headed from a large amount of blood loss.

"Don't worry Noelle, I'll take care of it," The short boy stood his ground, waiting for the next attack. The water mage's vision was blurry, and she collapsed on the ground, barely conscious. She crawled to the side and watched as Asta engaged in combat with the witch, and she could only watch. The demon prepared for another shot and the short boy held his stance accordingly.

Earthen Magic: Poksen Shinez

The ground rumbled, and spikes jutted out of the floor, making Asta stumble to the side. The once flat land was now a dangerous landscape. Tall spurs scattered the ceiling and the floor, so no matter where the ash-blonde boy jumped, he was bound to run into something.

Asta charged once again at the Puppeteer, crying defiantly and arching his swords into a slash. The woman clicked her tongue and skipped back, tripping on the back of her heel. The short boy's sword only grazed her clothing, cutting a thin line in the shining purple cloth.

The Black Bull leaped backward, careful not to get caught in the woman's magic. The demon didn't recite a spell, but instead shot a volley of around a hundred arrow-like rocks. Asta tried to dodge them all, skipping, skidding, and springing to avoid the projections. Some of these deadly rocks skimmed the anti-magic user's legs, arms, clothing, hair, and cheeks as he constantly raced back to the witch to reach for a shot. The woman released another round of arrows, and then immediately shot another spell.

Earthen Magic: Reaching Arms

There it was again. That spell was troublesome, and Noelle tried to cry out in warning, but not a sound came out of her weak voice. The short teen was still dodging the arrows, he couldn't avoid this too. Luckily for her, Asta could sense ki, and he hopped out of the way, the new earthen hands reaching open space. Asta bounded off the roof of the cave and sped toward the devil.

Noelle scrutinized the woman, taking in her creepy presence. Her pink eyes were dead and dull, void of emotion until a blood-curdling smiled stretched across her face and she lifted her arm and swiped left.

The Silva choked as Asta was slammed against the opposite wall, a new pricket fresh out of the wall. It completely penetrated through his side, merciless and ruthless.

The witch laughed again, her maniacal giggles filling the air, watching as the short boy crumpled to the hard, cold ground, coughing up red and clutching his side. The black anti-magic melted off Asta's side, evaporating into the air.

"Asta!" Noelle cried, her voice raspy and soft. The ash-blonde boy looked over his shoulder, one eye closed, and grinned.

"Don't worry, Noelle. I'll take care of it." The young boy winced as he took a breath, trying to steady himself on the rod of his sword, trembling as he rose. His grip tightened as he stumbled onto his feet, turning his knuckles white. The woman laced her fingers, staring from beneath her purple pointy hat.

"Still alive, I see," the demon sneered, tapping her sharp red nails on the thin wand. The once cold atmosphere smelled mossy and wet. Now the metallic smell of blood smothered the earthy scent. Noelle had to do something. She couldn't just watch as Asta slowly died whilst she did nothing but whimper in the corner. But why did she care? It's not like she cared. She was royal, he had to-

Ugh. Who was she kidding? The water mage had known it from the start. Noelle Silva loved Asta, and she couldn't change that fact. But did he love her back? She blinked once, twice, three times and scoured the floor around her to find her wand. Picking it up, she spun it in her hand and began to concentrate the remaining magic in her mana devoid being. To help the person she loved. Perhaps the only person who truly even cared about her existence.

And he was dying.

Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry . . .

Asta, despite everything, was still fighting, ignoring the spiking pain in his side. His evading began to be more sloppy, only escaping the arms, barbs, and blasts of magic by a hair. He transformed into his half-demon form, growling before charging at the demon.

She smiled and conjured another blast of black magic, but the black bull cut right through it, flying towards the witch. Noelle had gathered her mana for her signature move and cried out 'Sea Dragon's Roar' before whirling an enormous water dragon towards the woman.

Asta sliced the demon in half, green blood splashing the walls. The witch wailed, slowly self-regenerating and attempting to piece herself together again. The ash-blonde boy jumped back, stumbling on rubble from previous earthen spears. Noelle's magic hydra blew away the woman, destroying her in a flurry of water, drenching the cave, and successfully demolishing the demon, right down to her core.

The young boy collapsed, the pain and strenuous activity combining into exhaustion. The Silva cried out and crawled toward the fallen Magic Knight. Blood pooled around Asta, coating the hard rock floor. His breathing was faltering, inconsistent, and wheezing. No, no no no no. This can't be happening.

"Ar-Are you okay?" Noelle trembled, her voice barely audible. The young boy's bright green eyes were lidded. Tears began to form at the edges of her eyes. She was used to her crush beating himself up constantly, but it was never this bad, and there was always a healer nearby. Always a way to reverse it, to prevent that idiot from dying.

But now there was no one here who could heal, and no one close enough or coming to fix this. If only she was more useful, braver, kinder, and better at everything. Noelle knew her siblings were right. She was pathetic, an ugly swan that would never evolve.

Even after everything that Asta had done for her, protected her, cared about her, fought with her, encouraged her, and accepted her. After everything- everything, he couldn't just leave. But Noelle had no such power to stop it. And it hurt. That the one person she loved, the one time he needed her, she couldn't help. A warm tear slipped down her cheek, and her breath shuddered. It dripped off her cheek and onto Asta's face.

"Don't cry, Noelle," Asta whispered, his voice weak and small. This wasn't the boy she knew. He never whispered, with no knowledge of an 'inside voice.' More tears slid down her face, as her only light was slipping away from her hands. Her breath hiccuped as she tried to hold back her tears. It wasn't fair. To Noelle. To Asta. Life wasn't fair. She knew that. But why did the universe have to take her only hope from her? After her crappy childhood without a mother and her uneven magic, there should be light at the end of the tunnel.

She had thought that Asta was her light, her hope, her life. But he was leaving, and she had never told him. Noelle had never told the anti-magic user just how much he meant to her. Never told him what she really wanted to hear from him.

I love you.

"Please," the water mage whispered, her voice hoarse and shaky. Noelle wanted Asta forever. It was selfish, it was, but she never understood how much Asta meant to her.

"You can't leave, you can't die," she pleaded, more tears spilling out. 'You never know what something means to you until it's gone.'

"Because I- I . . ."Noelle gently clasped Asta's rough hands in her pale ones, clutching onto his hands. Now or never, she had to do it, no matter how hard it seemed.

"I love you!"