The Beast and the Sword Book 3: A Koi's Journey

Page 7: The Marked PT1

WARNING: THIS NIGHTMARE IS VERY GRUESOME, READ WITH CAUTION.

***

"Asta! Asta!"

The air felt cold against his skin upon opening his eyes. He found himself standing in the middle of a blizzard, the view in front of him blurred as well as behind him. He didn't know how he got there, or why, but all he knew was, he had been searching.

The voice came again.

"Asta! Help me!"

Immediately he knew who that voice belonged to.

"Prism?"

"Asta!" He could hear her call out.

The moment he blinked, he could see her in front of him, with her scythe in hand. She looked dazed and confused, as if she hadn't been aware of her surroundings, until she could see him.

"Asta! Help!" She called out as she reached out to him, "They're coming!"

"Prism! Hold on!" Asta shouted as he started to run to her, "Just stay right there I'll--"

Immediately he stopped in his tracks when he paled up at the sight of a blade running right through her chest. Her body became limp and lifeless as the blade was pulled out.

"NO!" Asta cried out.

A familiar person, made entirely of glass stepped on Prism's corpse leering towards him. "... Some Wizard King---You turned out to be." She said, "You couldn't save her---And you couldn't protect your friends"

Asta fell to his knees at the sight of a certain red haired girl, who had been in the same state as Prism. She tossed Feodora to the ground as he started to hyperventilate.

"F-Feo..." Asta said as his voice trembled.

13 stepped towards him, as the sound of glass could be heard. He didn't even realize she had been next to him, until he could hear her voice right in his ear.

"... Where was their Wizard King... When they NEEDED him?"

In that moment---All Asta could do, was scream.

***

Asta found himself sitting up from his bed, his body practically covered in sweat from the nightmare he had witnessed. He only seemed to calm down a little when he realized he had been in the base of the Black Bulls. Though it hadn't been enough.

Since they disappeared, Asta had been plagued with that nightmare.

What would happen to them, If... 13 really had---

---No!

He couldn't think about it, not now.

Instead he slapped his cheeks as he lit up his lantern, doing the only thing he could do to rid himself from the nightmares.

"It's time to train!"

Immediately he got on his back and started to sit up. All the while he had been softly counting to himself so he wouldn't wake anyone up.

"I'm going to get even stronger! Strong enough to keep both of my promises! It'll be fine! I can do it! I can get stronger!"

He soon paused for a moment as he thought about the fight with DOLL 13, and what had happened in the cave. "... Can I really get better so that---"