Star Stellar (Black Clover Fanfic)

Chapter 18-Cursed Gift

I was being carried in some Stellar-sized bag. My abductor was rather strong, able to keep the bundle high off the ground. Inside the bag was dark and I couldn't see a thing. I twisted and fumbled for my spear that I still keep swung around my back. My fingers closed around air, and I figured the abductor had taken the spear and my grimoire while I was being shoved into the bag. From my mana sensing, two people were walking briskly along.

"Whoa, she's acting up," one of them said. "Maybe we should use a tranquilizer,"

"Boss said not to," said the other. "Something about 'contaminating her blood and affecting the-what was that again?-cosmocore',"

Cosmocore? What the heck was that? I wondered.

"Better be worth it. The money I get from this would probably provide my family for a month,"

Commoners? They desperately need money...but who would try to grab a Magic Knight who's protecting them? a

"We're almost there," the person carrying me told his partner. I felt a sense of forbidding and instantly wanted out.

Another man came walking towards the original two. "I trust she's in prime condition?" he inquired.

"Yes sir, she cooperated quite well,"

The man chuckled. "They all do, once they are scooped up, they fall into despair and go limp,"

I kicked the sack. I'm not limp!

"Uh oh, this one may be a little feisty," the carrier said nervously.

"I'll handle her," the sack dropped with a thump. "Okay, this one may be a bit different so listen. Open the sack-No! When I say so!"

Too late. The sack opened and I fell myself roll out and land on my back. I took in my surroundings slowly, it seems like a laboratory. There were two men, a pointy hair one and a round chubby guy as well as a burly man who was carrying me. I spotted something silver and quickly darted over to the shelf where my spear was. The spiky man cursed. I looked him dead in the eye, any movement he sends towards me and I'll send the spear straight at him.

The burly guy looked panicked. "This never happened before! Why is she up? I thought they usually are feeble and weak?"

"Interesting," the spiky man mused. "What an odd phenomenon. Must be something in her body promoting changes in behavior,"

"WOULD YOU TWO QUIT ACTING LIKE I'M SOME WILD ANIMAL YOU'RE STUDYING?" I spoke without thinking.

The panicky guy squeaked. "She possesses the power of speech!"

"It's fine, we can experiment with humans, we can experiment with a lower 'un-civilized' being. Even if she talks,"

"Uncivilized..." I growled and pointed the spear at the man, feeling mana flowing into the tip. I just need to let it go and it would piece through his body.

Something whacked the back of my neck and the room started to spin. "That's much better, I said no magic or drugs but physical attacks are fine," Spiky man said and with a swift movement, flung me into some cell. "Lava drops! Now!" Chubby handed Spiky an orange liquid and he took a dropper and released two drops into my eyes. They blazed in pain and I brought both hands to my face to endure it.

"That'll keep her from using Cosmo Magic for about four hours. Be sure to add two more in that period. I'll head down and make some...preparations," Spiky walked out of the room.

I blindly felt around the cell looking for a weak point to try to break out. "There's no point in trying," Chubby said from across the room. "The bars are made out of a mixture of steel and platinum as well as hard granite. Without magic, there's no way you can escape," 

I humphed and sat down. Three hours passed and Chubby reached to reapply the lava drops. I sensed him approaching and scrunched my eyes shut.  He reached his fingers to pry my eyes open and I remembered Virgo telling me about hunting one day when he came back with a wound on his leg. 

"All creatures will defend themselves with whatever ability they have. This one, for instance, used its teeth. I'll be fine, I'm going off to be healed anyway," 

I bit him. 

"Stop that!" The man said sharply, dropping the vial and examining his arm. "You savage creature!"

I snarled, coincidently, sounding more like a wild animal. "And what makes you think you're more civilized than me?" 

"Simple. We use magic in creative and expressive ways, making things such as traps and magic tools. You, on the other hand, use your amazing universal powers to what? Make things float? Water crops?"

"I can use my magic to fight! We defend our village with magic and hunt!"

"With basic raw power, no grimoires, no spells. Stellars never use their powers to the fullest. So you're here to unlock your potential. We're unlocking your potential for you,"

"You're weak now, no experience to what you can really do. But the Diamond Kingdom can change that, you'll be invincible, nothing will stop us with you on our side..."

I took a sharp intake. "You're from the Diamond Kingdom,"

"That's right. I see you must have heard elsewhere that we're planning on making you more...useful. Actually, it's your magic we want, you're just a vessel that contains it, the cosmocore," 

I tried to locate where he was and stare at him. "Cosmocore?" 

He laughed. "This explained how we're much more intelligent. From our research, the Cosmocore is found in only Cosmostellars. The cosmocore is how Cosmostellars use their animating powers. Our observation on a few Stellars-"

"Wait, there are more Cosmostellars out there?"

"Oh? You don't know? We have been cultivating Cosmostellars for generations but the last one died a few years back. Luckily, there we finally got our grasps on you. Shameful we no longer have a male to breed you with-"

"Breeding? We are not cattle!"

"Stellars are no better than cattle and are more obedient, nice and silent and they don't give off foul odors. Except you, apparently. Haven't gotten a speaking one before. But it seems like you're the last one and we cannot afford to waste your potential. We'll be extracting your cosmocore soon, once our boss finishes reworking the extractor,"

"You're well aware you're telling me all your evil plans in my face?"

"It doesn't matter to you anymore. Once we take out your core, your life force will no longer be supported and you'll die soon after. Think of it as a favor, you've been using your magic for many things now and every time, you've been chipping away at your cosmocore faster than it regenerates. At that rate, you'll de anyway,"

Every time I've used my Cosmostellar magic...I've used it for the pettiest of things. Unlocking doors and making rocks float...was I wasting my core, my LIFE? How much of it do I have left? Can the core be replenished? Of course, there was something that's going to be a catch in Cosmostellar magic. Perhaps it's a good thing I discovered this. But not now when they're going to kill me! Do I even have enough to bust my way out of here? Not that I can, being blinded by lava. Didn't that guy say it'll wear off in four hours?

"I suppose all my explanation made no sense to your simple brain. I'll be taking my leave now. Don't go anywhere," he turned but right then, the door opened and the Spiky man returned. 

"My, that took less time than expected. They've kept the machine well-polished. Preparations have been completed. Let's quickly get this over with,"