fire flower; leopold vermillion x oc [Black Clover]

Chapter 33: Attack

The Ash Wizard opens up a portal, and I can't stop myself from asking, "What is your magic type?"

"Spatial magic, of course! And please, call me Sebastian, Princess." He gives me a wry grin again, then steps through the portal, motioning for me to follow.

We walk into a dimly lit room, sparsely adorned with a cot and a weapon's rack. "You'll be staying here, Princess."

"I don't sense any doors. How do I get out of this place?"

"Even though you slew the monster, we still can't trust you just yet. Why would you abruptly join us, after all?" Sebastian cackles at himself with child-like glee. "Don't worry, once our Poison Wizard is through with you, you'll take your place as Moon Shade's rightful leader! But for now, the only way you can get out is with my Spatial Magic."

"I'll slay as many more monsters as it takes, but I won't let your Poison Wizard touch me," I snarl. I can't let them take control of me!

An odd look crosses Sebastian's face, and he leans in, causing me to back away. "Did I upset you, Princess?" He asks.

"I said, I won't let your Poison Wizard touch me," I repeat, trying to stay calm. "What can I do to prove my worth?"

Sebastian places a finger on his chin and falls silent for a long moment. "Moon Shade will discuss it, Princess. I don't want you to be upset." He reaches out and tries to touch my hand, but I leap back.

"You're not going to lay a finger on me either, Sebastian," I growl, glaring at him.

Instead of backing down and leaving me alone, he does that hoarse, child-like cackle again. "We'll see about that, Princess. We'll see about that." Then, he's gone, swallowed up by a portal of his own making, leaving me trembling from fear.

I struggle to regain my composure, but his words still ring loudly in my ears. We'll see about that, Princess. We'll see about that. Fear crawls slowly up my back, trailing a cold hand along every vertebrae. What did he mean by that?

Calm down, Mari. There must be a way to get to him. He got scared after he thought he made you upset; that must mean something. I set my sword down on the weapons rack and fall back onto the cot. Turning my wrist, I stare at the mechanical bracelet, fondly remembering Leopold and the warmth and comfort of the squad base.

It takes me a while to fall asleep, and when I finally do, my dreams are plagued by ash and green-skinned monsters.

Leopold's point of view:

I stay up until midnight, waiting for a signal. Don't expect anything, Leopold. This is the first day of the operation. When the clock hits 12:01, I set down my own mechanical bracelet. If Mari presses any of the buttons, the corresponding one will light up, and we'll meet at the edge of the Forsaken Realm. We set the "button-pressing curfew" to midnight. I hope she's okay.

But anxiety still plagues me as I get ready for bed. I'm on the verge of falling asleep when a loud crash shakes the squad base building. An accident? Or maybe an attack! I leap to my feet and grab my cape and grimoire before dashing outside of my room. From the balcony outside, I can see plumes of smoke coming from the left of the building. A swarm of squad members rushes past me, followed by Fuegoleon.

As soon as I see my brother, I charge in right after him. We race down the flights of stairs and we make our way to the site of the explosion. When we burst outside, we are instantly met with crippling heat. A few squad members fall to their knees from the intense flames, but my brother and I stride right through. Suddenly, he raises an arm and stops me in my tracks.

"Look there," he whispers, pointing into the smoke. I follow his finger and see a hulking shape shifting and moving within the plumes. "It could be transformation magic, but that wouldn't explain the huge explosion. We're dealing with something unnatural here. Be on your guard, Leopold."

We edge closer, keeping as silent as possible. Unfortunately, the creature notices our approach, swiveling its head towards us and letting out a roar. Fuegoleon pushes me to the side. "Go, Leopold! Get into the damaged building and help! I'll take care of this creature!"

I stumble, breaking into a run as the monster charges my brother. I leap into the damaged sparring ring building through a jagged hole in the wall, dispelling the thick smoke with my magic. I am met with the sight of a dozen or so limp figures, all belonging to the squad. Rushing over, I check for pulses and place my hand over their mouths. Good, they're all breathing. Footsteps come from behind, and I turn to see reinforcements.

"Help me get these people out of here!" I order, picking up a limp man and supporting him with my shoulder. We trudge outside, carrying the injured away from the smoke and flames, setting them down on the cool grass behind the damaged building.

"Watch over the wounded," I say before racing back to help my brother.

A loud rumble causes the ground to shudder, and I catch sight of my brother's brilliant flames through the large clouds of smoke. Once I notice the creature, growling and snarling, I blast a wave of fire at it. It roars, turning its attention towards me. It's a hideous thing, a bundle of muscles with a tint of green on its skin. Its face is deformed, boasting beady yellow eyes and a large mouth with an oversized jaw.

I blast another round of fire, ducking and dodging when it swings its fists at me. But to my dismay, my attacks only leave circular marks of soot and ash.

"Leopold, get out of there!" Fuegoleon appears at my side. "This thing is too strong for you." He digs his feet into the ground and fends off the monster with his flames.

The creature gets up, undaunted, and starts racing towards us once again. Then, it suddenly stops, pausing and tilting its head. "Moon Shade sends... its regards," it croaks in a deep, gravelly, inhuman voice. Before we can react, it leaps into the air, bounding away from the squad base.

I start to chase after it, but Fuegoleon holds me back. "Don't. Maybe with my grimoire I could've done something, but right now it's hopeless. That thing is too strong. Come and help the wounded." He runs towards the sparring ring, leaving me staring up at the sky, trying to catch a last glimpse of whatever that creature was.

Mari, what is going on?