fire flower; leopold vermillion x oc [Black Clover]

Chapter 14: Burn

Leopold's point of view:

I lay her down on the ground carefully, my entire body shaking from anger, but also from fear. There are so many cuts across her limbs, her neck, her face, and the sight of the gaping wound in her abdomen almost made me keel over. I whip out my grimoire, furiously flipping through its pages until I find the right spell. I struggle to keep my voice steady as I say the incantation and watch soft, almost pink flames surround her. It's the healing side of fire, the warm, loving side; the flames of a cozy hearth or a flickering campfire. Mari's expression seems to relax, and I breathe a sigh of relief.

I turn towards where she pointed and see a cloud of black smoke billowing up into the air. Rage fills every joint, muscle, and fold of my body. Whoever did this to her will not leave unscathed. Harsh, unmerciful fire gathers at my fingertips as I break into a run and race towards the smoke. A broken-down, shack-like building comes into view, along with a gaping hole planted in its wall. I leap through the gap, letting my flames wreath and wrap themselves around my body before I release hell on earth.

My magic explodes, illuminating the room in a bright orange glow. Six robed wizards, all standing in shock, surround me. I immediately recognize the one that captured Mari, and I charge at him, punching him right in the face, my fist coated with fire. He crumples to the ground, and I waste no time turning towards the others.

There's a girl amongst them, with crazed hair and eyes. Her mana feels crude and oily, exactly like the aura from Mari's wounds. She's the one that hurt her.

"Fire Magic: Spiral Flame!" A blaze engulfs her, but her shrieks go unheard compared to the roaring anger in my head and heart.

"Fire Magic: Wild Bursting Flame!" I don't give the others a chance to react as I let my magic loose in all directions. A few of them try to feebly shield themselves, but my spell quickly knocks them flat on the ground.

Bastards bastards bastards. The rhythm of the fight becomes coarse and brutish as I punch and kick and claw at the culprits. Adrenaline and anger flow through my veins as I unleash spell after spell, turning the room into a blistering hellhole. And when I finally stop, huffing, the six criminals lie battered and beaten around me. Serves them right.

"Leopold!" A familiar voice calls out from outside. I turn to see the scouting team of the Crimson Lions squad appear in the distance.

"Get the girl away from here and into a hospital!" I call back, dragging the criminals together in one big pile. Three of the squad members rush over with ropes and gags. I leave the criminals to them and run towards Mari.

Disentangling her from two other squad members, I take her into my arms. I can feel her blood trickling onto my skin from the cuts lacing her arms, and the gaping wound at her side.

"Mari..." My voice quivers. Her head rests in the bend of my elbow, peaceful and asleep. "I'm... so... sorry..." Stupid stupid stupid, Leopold! You're the reason she's in this state!

"It won't happen again, Mari," I whisper, touching my forehead with hers. I'll protect her. I'll keep her safe.