The Brightest Star

Chapter 8

Julius was speechless. Out of nowhere, this thing that was obviously not human just came into existence. Asta tried to speak but Julius beat him to it. "Asta, just who or what is this mysterious visitor and how did he get here. Just from looking at it, I already have a theory on what it is but just in case I'd like your explanation." Julius said with a look that gave away no emotions. Even so, you could tell that he was on his guard; ready to fight at the drop of a feather. "I have no doubt that your theory on what this entity is happens to be correct." Asta said. "Explaining who he is and how he got here will also answer your earlier questions about my new grimoire. Or grimoires? To be honest it's a little confusing to me as well." As he said this Julius quirked an eyebrow. Just what did he mean by grimoires? Julius walked back to his desk and took his seat. He ushered Asta to do the same.

"It appears then that our conversation will last a little longer than expected." He spoke. Asta inhaled a large breath as he thought of exactly where to start. He figured the best way to explain would be to start with the fact that for a while, he was unable to utilize his abilities to their fullest. Granted there wasn't that vast a difference, but he could tell that something was off. He figured that since there was no way he could tell the wizard king what happened without revealing the sentience of his magic, he told him everything. Kinda. He didn't reveal his status as a reincarnation in the traditional sense. "My magic was wielded by mages of old. They were so strongly attached to mana that they were able to pass down both magic power and their own sentience as they saw fit.

It just so happened that I was chosen. But not out of pure chance. Had it not been for them, I'd be magicless. Which is where the demon comes in." he said as he pointed towards the tiny, floating, sentient gremlin-looking creature. " Apparently, he would've been my main source of power had it not been for the ones who saw fit to choose me as their successor. But since there are no manaless mages across the nation, we're stuck with each other." As Asta said this, Liebe couldn't help but to roll his eyes in obvious annoyance. For a good few minutes, Asta and Julius merely sat across from one another in complete silence. Asta wondering how Julius would react, and Julius trying to find the right words to say.

Before he could say anything though, they were abruptly interrupted. "Wizard King Julius! there's a situation in the banquet hall!" yelled one of the many mages stationed throughout the Wizard King's castle. Julius wasted no time rising from his seat, no longer trapped in his stupor, and rushed in the direction of the banquet hall followed closely by Asta. Upon arrival, they saw Mereoleona and Yuno standing in between three of the Silva siblings. The one whom they were protecting was Noelle Silva, the youngest of the noble family, soaking wet sitting in a puddle of water. Across from them were the two middle children of the family, Nebra and Solid Silva, the later holding the cup that Asta assumed held the water which was now on the ground.

"Mereoleona, how far you've fallen. Siding with a commoner." Nebra said with a light chuckle. "Seems to me like the ones who've fallen are the two hairless apes standing in front of me with their heads up their asses." Mereoleona clapped back with a shit-eating grin. This caused Yuno to try to stifle a laugh. It had the added effect of causing the two silva siblings to seethe with anger at the fact that they were just belittled by the younger mage. "So, the twerp has jokes huh? Well, we'll see who gets the last laugh!" Shouted Solid. He and his sister both drew their grimoires. Wrapping their fists in the magic, the siblings lunged at the two opposing mages with breakneck speed. Just as Yuno and Mereoleona were about to prepare a counterattack, Asta appeared in a flash, his hands shrouded in anti-magic, he effortlessly stopped their attacks. Nebra and Solid didn't have time to be shocked as their mana started to leave them. "You! You're that other filthy commoner. What have you done to us?" Nebra asked, her voice laced with discuss and rage.

"Anti-Magic. It's canceling the flow of your magic while at the same time absorbing it." At this the siblings fell to a knee, the Anti-Magic rendering them powerless while Asta stood with an unwavering calm. All eyes were on him but only a few individuals noticed the prominent horns he now sported. "Enough. Control yourself, commoner." As these words were spoken, a wave of magical pressure flooded the banquet hall, bending the weaker mages to their knees. Yet Asta stood firm, unbothered. A skill he created to be a counterpart of one he recently developed through training. The waves of mana simply flowed past him: Anti-Mana Skin. Noticing the new arrival, Asta released the siblings and turned his attention to him. Nozel Silva slowly made his way towards Asta. Each step demanding respect. As he got closer, Asta began increasing his pressure. Many mages, even the stronger ones, began to kneel. The weaker ones completely fainted (Think of Conquerors Haki). The closer Nozel got to Asta, the harder it became for him to breathe. Once he had made it face to face with him his legs began to shake ever so slightly. 'What is this pressure? I feel as if I could be killed in an instance? It's simply shouldn't be possible for this commoner to possess such an overwhelming presence.' 

These were the thoughts present within Nozel's mind. He had only felt a presence like this when the Wizard king was serious and even that was a rarity. Just as Nozel had fallen to a knee, he was saved from his embarrassing predicament by Julius. "Enough! Asta, restrain yourself!" He exclaimed, releasing his own pressure. It was on a completely different level. Though if you were to pay close attention, you could see that he was visibly sweating from Asta's immense pressure. "Noticing the arrival of the wizard king, Asta began to pull back his Anti-Magic. Just as Julius was about to address the situation, "We're under Attack!"

And that's a rap! I know it's not much for a return chapter, but I was lucky enough to have time to write this. Tell me what you guys think. 'til next time.