That's So Wizard

Chapter 24 - The Lonely Bull

Even when I was little, my father taught me how to be tough, because that was the only way he knew to make me strong. We trained with blunt sticks. I thought it was infuriating at first, but I grew to enjoy that time we spent together, and I'll never forget when the day came that I knocked the stick out of his hands. Neither did he, I assume, because I knew it wasn't raining, even if he told me it was.

But this story isn't about my dad and I. Xeno, Ron, you both fill me with rage. I hope you know that. I'm sharing with you why you're here only because soldiers need substance behind their fighting, I assume. That's what my dad told me once. So sit back and I'll tell you a bit of it, and you better damn well listen closely. I'm not repeating a thing. All right? Good. Though, I don't know why I'd need to explain why magic is bad in the first place. You both experienced it first-hand. Twice.

Again, back to my father, but that's where I have to start. I'm a descendent of the Bull clan of spellbreakers. Whether one realizes it or not, all spellbreakers come from one of many clans named after animals. That's what my dad told me, anyway. He possessed no abilities himself. They skip generations, sometimes several, leaving some lost from their ancestral connections completely. He knew I had the abilities of a spellbreaker, so he had me practice. You might think this is why I hate wizards, and it might be part of it, but this isn't the reason, no. It's simply how I managed to enter this wizard's world that hardly a person knows about.

"Your magic eyes need to be stronger," he'd say, though I didn't really know how to practice. "If you falter, a wizard can launch you through a wall. You'll be a soldier, Asta. But not someone simply fighting for your country. You'll be fighting for the side of sanity. Protect us from the uprising of demigods."

"I will, dad."

"And I don't want to see you sneaking out again. Do you hear me? You think I don't know? Your curfew is ten o'clock. Remember that."

"Of course, dad."

So naturally, I snuck out that night. I respected my father more than anybody in the world, but there was some unnatural force pulling me from my bed. It wasn't magic. Or was it? Maybe it was a kind of magic. It was the need to meet with somebody—a person my dad would surely kill if he found out.

We lived out on a farm, you see, so I didn't really know many other people my age. But I was coming of age, and I had a desire to explore beyond. I managed to find somebody one day, and his name was Victor Regner, and that's who I snuck out to find. We met at the nearby park often. His hair was long and blonde, and he had a handsome, smooth face that... Sorry. That isn't important.

It was also around this time that I had already been in contact with those above us. I began carrying out work as a spellbreaker. It was difficult, but over time, I became better at my craft. We caught wizards and brought them in, and I didn't really know what happened after that, but there was a strange joy I felt after a job well done. Thankfully, I was still able to often visit my home. My father was so proud of me, and Victor provided much needed support. I finally told my dad of him, and he was furious at first, but he came to accept us together.

"Your hair is always so smooth, and it shines, even without the sun. How do you do it?" Victor said to me.

"Stop that," I'd reply, as I normally would, though I didn't truly want him to.

And he didn't. He made my life worth living. Work wasn't always easy, in fact, it rarely was, and Victor made it an absolute treat to come home.

You might be wondering what the spellbreakers actually did with the wizards they arrested. I started questioning that, and I did find out, somewhat. The cases changed all of the time. Seeing what wizards could do, I was hoping they'd be locked up, or even killed in some cases, but what I discovered made me upset.