Seven Clovers (Black Clover x Male OC)

Chapter 26: Hi, I'm Still Breathing

Télos stood tall as the lifeless bodies of the two Diamond soldiers as he dusted his hands off. The family stared at him in disbelief. 

"Sate, sate, sate, I overdid myself, we won't get answer from these two I guess" He sighed before turning to the family. "You guys alright? You aren't hurt, right?" The eldest shook his head.

"No, thank you Sir Magic Knight" The father thanked shakily. Télos grinned.

"I am no noble, Sir. I am just a guy whose job is to protect you. But now I gotta go, hide until you are sure the danger is over" He said before leaving. He sighed happily while walking through the empty streets, as a great tree emerged in the middle of the city. "Golden Dawn, huh? I guess I have to tell Yuno I'm still alive" He thought out loud. He wandered around for some time, saving a few civilians trapped in the debris on the way, until a loud, screaming voice gained his attention.

" Damnit, I won't lose!" The voice yelled. 'Asta' Télos thought, walking to the source of the voice. As he walked, he heard a soft flapping of wings and an anti-bird landed softly on his shoulder. An anti-bird he knew well.

"Good to see you, Nero" He greeted, scratching the bird's head. "What have you been up to?" The bird glared at him and pecked his cheek hard. "Ouch! Fine! Sorry for disappearing for a week, but it's not like I had a choice did I?" He protested. Nero shrugged. It looked like a shrug, but she was a bird so Télos couldn't tell. He resumed his walk in silence until he reached Asta, standing tall over a Diamond mage and a bunch of civilians covered in slime. "Good job, Dorkasta!" Asta turned around and faced Télos, who had a grin on his face.

"Stop calling me that!" Asta protested. Télos chuckled.

"No chance" He said. Then he noticed they weren't alone. Charmy and Finral were there. So was a guy from the Golden Dawn he didn't know and the guy he was looking for. "Hi Yuno" He greeted nonchalantly. The rookie from Golden Dawn walked up to him, emotionless.

"I thought you kicked the bucket" He told Télos with a monotone voice. The blonde raised an eyebrow at him.

"Eeeeh? You really thought I was going down that easily? That hurts" Télos sighed. Both of them stared at each other before a grin appeared in Télos' face and put his hand on Yuno's shoulder. "It's good to see you, bro" Yuno smiled at him and shook his head.

"I'm glad you aren't dead, you still have to see me become the Wizard King" Yuno taunted. Télos laughed.

"In your dreams"

"Hey, Yuno! Who's this shrimp?!" A high-pitched voice asked. It was then when Télos realized that there was something floating around Yuno. A tiny figure with wings and a green dress. 

"This must be Sylph, the Wind Spirit" Télos said. Sylph eyed him for a moment before her eyes widened.

"Wait! I know you! You're him! You are Mel-" 

"Télos, not Melos, but yeah that's me" He cut her off, glaring at her. Yuno stared at the two. There was something going on, but it seemed it wasn't the time nor the place, judging by Télos reaction. "Well, it seems the fun is over so, we should be taking our leave"

"Not so fast, I am not done talking to my brother here" The other Golden Dawn said, making Télos focus on him for the first time since he got there.

"Langris Vaude, Vice Captain of Golden Dawn" He introduced himself. "I have heard about you, the peasant that rejected every squad to join the Black Bulls. You caused quite the conmotion back then, but now that I see you, I fail to see what the captains saw in you"

"I guess that's why you aren't a captain. I don't know what your deal is Little Finral, but please leave me out of it" Télos retorted. Langris scowled at him and raised his hand.

"What did you call me, pest?" 

"You're Finral's little brother. That makes you Little Finral. I have forgotten your name already. Now, I'd keep that hand down, I am not in the mood" Télos said, giving his back to Langris. The Vice Captain of Golden Dawn was ready to strike, but killing a Magic Knight would not do any good to him, even if he was a peasant. So he lowered his hand. Télos sent one last grin and nod to Yuno before the Black Bulls left the scene. 

Back on their HQ, Yami had gathered all the squad for one important announcement.

"Squad, as you may have noticed, we're already out of black stars. So, in exchange" He stopped to show a huge grill. "Eat all this meat" Everyone cheered. Télos, on the other hand, blinked a few times in confusion.

"Eat all this huh?" But it was drowned by the celebration, so he shrugged in defeat and joined the party. They all had fun, running around, playing, eating, drinking, they seemed like a family. A disfunctional family, but a family nonetheless. But there was someone who wasn't as excited as the rest, even if he tried to mask it, the guy who had lived with him for almost sixteen years noticed his gloomy mood. So, Télos, who had been goofing around with Luck and Magna, excused himself and walked to Asta. "Asta, walk with me" Asta flinched, when Télos called him by his name, no Dorkasta or any nickname, it meant that it was serious. So, much to Noelle's dismay, he stood and walked away from the scene.

Asta followed Télos through the forest, walking in complete silence, which incremented his nervousness. 

"So, what do you want to talk about?" He asked, trying to get this over with quickly. Télos didn't answer and kept walking. Soon they reached a place they knew very well. "This is the lake, where you disappeared" Télos nodded. 

"We haven't got time to talk ever since I came back, but I remember we agreed that every time something bugged you, you would come to me" He said. Asta didn't know if Télos was angry, disappointed, sad or something else. He had always been hard to read, but ever since he came back it had become impossible to guess what he was thinking. "Now, answer me. What did the doctor tell you" So that was. Asta took a long breath as his gaze dropped to his bandaged arms.

"The bones are destroyed, but that's not the worst. Vetto cursed my arms, which doesn't let Owen fix them. He said..." Asta swallowed the lump forming in his throat. "He said I won't be able to wield my swords anymore" The two stayed silent for a minute. Then, Télos opened his mouth.

"So what?" Asta's eyes widened and he looked at his adoptive brother, who was staring at him expectantly. "So what?" He repeated. Then, Asta understood.

"Screw it! You hear me, Fate?! It doesn't matter how many rocks you put in my way! You are not stopping me!" He yelled at the sky. "I will find a way to fix this arms, and if I don't, I will learn to fight without them! Keep trying to bring me down, you won't suceed! It doesn't matter how hard you try, I will become the Wizard King!"

From behind, Télos smiled at his brother. He had missed him dearly those months in Britannia, and when he had come back, he found him half-dead. Asta had been the one who had suffered the most, being born without magic, overlooked by his family, who was taking for granted that he wouldn't pass the magic knight exam. He had proved everyone wrong, and he was growing at incredible speed. It was then, when Télos realized.

'It doesn't mattter how hard we try, you will be the one to become Wizard King, Asta'