fire flower; leopold vermillion x oc [Black Clover]

Chapter 34: Trial

I rise with the sun, watching it through the tiny, singular window in my dusty and barren room. There's a black dress, folded neatly at the foot of my bed. It seems that I missed it in the dark from when I first entered this room. I don the piece of clothing, the long sleeves and knee-length bottom half hanging loosely from my body. I am in the process of buttoning up my cloak when Sebastian suddenly appears.

"Good morning, Princess!" He rasps.

"Don't do that, Sebastian!" I growl, pulling my cloak over myself protectively. "I could've been asleep or indecent!"

"How else am I supposed to escort you out of your room then?"

"How about you give me a room that I can get out of on my own?" I snarl, pulling the cloak's hood over my head. I grab my sword from the rack and keep away from him.

"Don't worry, Princess. Today is the day you'll prove yourself to Moon Shade. Come, right this way." He gestures towards the shifting, swirling portal, letting me step in first.

I walk through the gateway and step out into a cold, dark, room. I can vaguely make out a semi-circle of stone, resembling the seats of an auditorium.

"She has arrived," Sebastian rasps, stepping out of the portal from behind me. His hand brushes my shoulder as he walks past, and I flinch away.

He disappears into the shadowed darkness, and for a while, silence falls upon the room. Before I can ask what is going on, someone snaps a finger, and cold, hard, bright, white lights flash on. I cover my eyes with my hands and step back, the sudden change blinding me and leaving me dizzy.

Once the black spots clear from my eyes, I turn and see that rows of cloaked, hooded figures sit behind the stone row.

The one at the very center spreads his hands outwards, as if in a greeting. "Welcome, Princess, to Moon Shade." It's Sebastian's voice, and from beneath the shadows of his hood, I can see his glimmering, wicked smile. "You have been brought here to prove yourself." The smile grows wider. "Step forward, so that you may choose your opponent."

I inch towards the stone row, standing straight and tall. Don't let them see your doubt.

"Pick, Princess. Choose amongst the many members of Moon Shade. If you beat then, you will take over their position. So, who will it be?"

The corners of my mouth upturn just the tiniest bit, and I know who to choose. Lifting a hand, I point my finger right at the speaker.

Dead. Center.

The smile droops, drops, and fades. A wrinkled hand with slim fingers takes off the hood, revealing Sebastian's face. His eyes are wide open, like circles, and his lips are only slightly parted as he cocks his head and stares at me. He is not giggling anymore.

"Very well, Princess. You chose the wrong person to fight."

He whips out a hand, and before I can react, the room with the bright, white lights vanishes above me. I'm falling into deep darkness for a split second, traveling through Sebastian's portal that opened up beneath my feet. It's a dirty form of fighting for Spatial Wizards, but I should've expected this; I'm dealing with criminals after all.

I manage to land on my feet, my shield cushioning my fall. I whip my sword out, but it won't do me any good if I can't see anything.

"How are you feeling, Princess?" Sebastian cackles from somewhere in the room, his voice bouncing around and echoing off the walls.

"I'll take you down, Sebastian!" I swing, sending a bolt of dark magic from my blade. The sound of a wall cracking and crumbling soon follows.

"I told you, you chose the wrong opponent." Something pushes me from behind; a hand. I try to push him back, but he's gone, vanishing into thin air.

"And what makes you say that?" I taunt, trying to sense where he is.

"We know about you, Princess."

My blood turns cold and my heart stops beating for a split second. No. No way. "What are you talking about?" I call out, my voice weaker than before. They can't possibly know. How?!

"You know what I mean, Princess. Your mission, your infiltration, whatever you wish to call it. We know it all."

Impossible. He's lying, bluffing. But why would he have any reason to suspect me? My palms start to sweat, and a chill creeps up my spine. "What do you mean?" I say through gritted teeth.

"Don't play dumb, Princess. We know about this."

I feel a sharp tug at my wrist, and then the metal bracelet comes loose, scraping my skin as it is snapped off and pulled away. No! I reach for it, groping blindly in the dark, but Sebastian has disappeared once again. "Give it back!" I yell. "That bracelet is precious to me!"

"Of course it is. You need it to contact your precious squad mates." Sebastian starts to cackle, his laughter filling the room and drowning me in sound.

I clamp my hands over my ears, dropping my sword, trying to shut everything out. I'm hyperventilating now, tears starting to form as I sink to my knees. Everything's gone wrong. What am I going to do what am I going to do?

"Maybe if you chose someone else as an opponent, Princess. Maybe then I would've let you work your way up the hierarchy? Giving you bits of information for you to take back to your squad. But I can't let you beat me, Princess."

"You... You monster!" I cry out, clawing at the floor, tilting my weeping head towards the sky. It's all over, isn't it?

"I'm sorry," he says.

Then spindly hands push me hard from behind, and I can't even catch myself before my head hits the granite. I'm losing consciousness fast now, and I see a pair of fingers reaching for me. I don't need your apologies. I slump onto floor, passing out.