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lyranova · 3 months

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Children of the Future: Shadows of the Past

Chapter 14: Why Didn’t We See This Coming?

Hiya guys! I’m sorry this chapter took so long to get out, my life has been a little crazy since December and I struggled a bit with this chapter. But it’s finally done 😁! The next chapter will probably take a while since I start school in February, and that will take up a lot of my time, but hopefully not! Anyway I hope you all enjoy~!

Sterling and Josele belong to @loosesodamarble and Leon and Solara belong to @thoughtfullyrainynightmare

Word Count: 3,708

Warnings: Mentions of bodily injuries, mentions of blood, character death

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The Black Bull's Hideout

It felt like time stood still as everyone just stared at the small pile of bodies that lied in the center of the room. It was like everyone and everything was frozen. No one moved, no one breathed, and for a moment Yami swore he didn’t see anyone blink. Until finally he heard Charlotte speak softly behind him.

“ Hana, Brielle, Lovely, I need you to take the younger kids outside for a while, alright?” She asked her middle child softly, but Hana shook her head.

“ But big sis-!” Hana began, but her mother quickly shook her head.

“ Hikari will be alright, so please just take care of the others.” She told her, her voice still soft, but it held a firmness to it. Which Hana knew meant that she was serious. Hana, Lovely, and Brielle quickly looked at each other before they began to usher the younger children out of the room.

As soon as the younger children left the room, everyone seemed to be snapped back to reality. Each parent rushed towards their child. Panic, worry, and fear laced their voices, eyes, and faces as they each reached them.

“ I’m sorry, I’m so, so sorry! I only got the vision a few hours ago, and when I did, I rushed over here as quickly as I could since my communication device wasn’t working!” Sterling told them, panic in her voice as she rushed over to them. But Josele quickly shook her head as she cupped her eldest child’s face gently.

“ It’s not your fault Sterling, you did well,” She told her softly, a tender smile on her face. “ Do you mind going outside with the younger kids? I’m worried they might get into a bit of trouble if left unsupervised.”

The red haired girl nodded slowly before doing as her mother asked and running out the same door that the younger kids did.

Meanwhile, Yami quickly knelt down and carefully cradled Hikari’s cool and limp body in his arms. Her dark hair was matted with blood, her clothes were torn, and her skin was deathly pale and cool to the touch…he couldn’t ever recall a time when she was so cold. But she was still breathing, it was shallow, but it was there and that was what mattered.

He slowly looked up, he could hear the screams and shouts of the Bulls as they urged their children to wake up. But it all sounded so muffled to him. It was like his head was underwater. He could see Gordon and Henry holding Wendy and Alice tightly in their arms, with Zora and Josele trying their best to aid the girls as Nacht issued various orders to his four devils.

He could see Gauche holding Aloys in his arms, and hear his muffled shouts as Grey tried to use her healing spell on him. His grey eyes slowly moved towards where Finral and Vanessa were kneeling. The Spatial mage seemed to be in shock as he held Ezio’s body, while Vanessa was doing her best to try to snap him out of his daze.

But what pulled Yami out of his daze was Secre, who rushed over to the pile.

“ Rune! Rune, what are you doing here?!” She shouted in shock as she picked up her 21-year-old son.

Rune was the adopted son of Secre. She had found him outside the Hideout when he was 11 years old, and at first she was going to take him to the orphanage in Kikka. But the longer she was around him, the more he reminded her of Lumiere, both in appearance and in personality…and in the end she just couldn’t give him up. When he got his grimoire, he decided instead of becoming a Magic Knight, he was going to travel all around the world and see everything it had to offer. Secre was a little saddened, but still supported his decision.

But when everyone had heard from him two days ago, he was supposedly still in the Diamond Kingdom…so how on earth did he get from there to Hage village?!

Yami shook his head, that wasn’t important right now, right now they needed to get all of their kids to Owen!

“ Finral!” Yami shouted as loud as possible, making the other man blink and jump in surprise. “ Snap out of it and open a portal to the infirmary!” He instructed, and Finral quickly nodded.

He handed Ezio to Vanessa and Magna before he stood up, and with a trembling hand he quickly opened a portal large enough for everyone to fit through.

“ A-Alright! It’s open!” Finral shouted, his voice shaking almost as bad as his body was. But Yami only nodded before looking at everyone.

“ Josele, Zora, you two help Henry and Gordon take Alice and Wendy through the portal first since they seem to be in the worst shape! Vanessa, Gauche, then you two take Aloys and Ezio through. Nacht, you help Secre with Rune. Charlotte and I will be right behind you with Hikari!” Yami ordered, his voice calm and steady, despite feeling nervous and uneasy on the inside.

One by one, each Bull nodded. With Zora and Josele’s help, Gordon and Henry picked up Wendy and Alice and carried them through first. Then Gauche, Grey, Vanessa, and Secre received help from Luck, Charmy, Nacht, and Magna with carrying their sons. Finally, Yami, Finral, and Charlotte all quickly walked through the portal as well. Hoping beyond hope that Ezio had gotten the kids back to the Hideout in time.

When the group appeared at the infirmary at the Magic Knight Headquarters, they were greeted by Owen, who had a very surprised look on his face.

“ My gods! Cecil, get the other Healers in here quickly!” Owen had shouted over his shoulder, and his fifteen-year-old son quickly nodded before disappearing behind the double doors.

Soon, nearly a dozen Healers appeared before the Bulls. They quickly put the wounded onto stretchers and rushed them back behind the double doors, and when Hikari was placed onto the last stretcher, Yami looked up at Owen.

“ You better save them. All of them.” Yami growled, his tone serious and slightly threatening, but Owen didn’t even flinch.

“ I’m going to be blunt with you, Yami. They’re all gravely injured, so while we’ll do the best we can, if I were you, I would prepare for the worst…just in case.” Owen told him seriously, and as he and Cecil began to rush Hikari to the back, his eyes narrowed a bit.

Yami wouldn’t let go of Hikari’s hand.

“ Yami, if we don’t treat her now, her injuries will only get worse. So please trust me, and let her go.” Owen told him softly, his voice full of understanding, but Yami still didn’t budge.

Not until he felt a gentle hand touch his shoulder.

“ Yami,” Charlotte began softly. Her voice was firm, but he could hear a slight shakiness to it. “ We have to let her go now. The sooner we do, the sooner we get her back. So please…let her go.” She pleaded, her voice growing softer and softer and trembling more and more as the words left her mouth.

Yami felt his heart clench in his chest, and reluctantly, he let go of Hikari’s hand and watched as Cecil and Owen wheel her back behind the double doors. Only when they disappeared and were out of sight did his legs buckle, and he fell to his knees. He could hear the worried shouts of his squad members and his wife, but he ignored them and just stared at the double doors in front of him.

No matter how hard he tried, his body wouldn’t stop trembling, from both fear and anger.

—-------

A few Hours Later, Infirmary at the Magic Knight Headquarters

Tick…Tock…Tick…Tock

The clock in the infirmary ticked as the Bulls silently waited in the infirmary halls for news of their children. Gauche was restless, so he paced back and forth down the hall, while Grey and Secre sat quietly in a chair beside Charmy and Josele, who was doing her best to comfort the woman. Meanwhile, Henry, Gordon, Finral, and Vanessa were both being comforted by Luck, Zora, and Magna. Further down the hall sat Yami, Charlotte, and Nacht.

What on earth happened out there? They were just supposed to be facing off against regular bandits, which they had done many times before, so how did they end up like this?

Yami ran a hand over his tired face as the memory disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. It didn’t make sense. Hikari and the other brats were all very skilled Magic Knights, and were more than capable of handling bandits on their own…unless…

Everyone jumped as they suddenly heard the door on the other side of the room slam open, their heads instantly turned, and their eyes widened as they saw Asta and Noelle standing there.

The two were slightly out of breath and their cheeks were red, proof that they had rushed to the infirmary. Their faces and eyes were filled with worry as they stared at their friend's troubled faces.

“ We came as soon as we heard!” Asta said as Noelle nodded in agreement.

“ How did you two find out so quickly?” Nacht asked with a bit of a frown.

“ I went to the Hideout to drop off Kaiyo, and I was stopped by Gimodelo. He said he and the other Bremen devils were tasked with protecting the area until you all returned, but eventually he let me through and Sterling told me everything that happened.” She explained, and the others nodded slowly.

“ Then Noelle called me with the communication device, and now we’re both here.” Asta said, and he watched as Yami sighed and shook his head.

“ You shouldn’t be here, brat, you have more important places to be right now.” He told him seriously, but the younger man shook his head.

“ It can wait. Vangeance said he would inform the other Captain’s and cancel the meeting and push everything back until tomorrow.” Asta explained. “ He also wanted me to tell you that he would come by at the end of the day.” He added with a small smile.

“ Have… you guys heard anything yet?” Noelle asked hesitantly, but Charlotte quickly shook her head.

“ No, nothing yet.”

“ That’s good, though, right? Don’t they say no news is good news?” Gauche scoffed at Noelle’s hopeful words as he suddenly stopped pacing.

“ Whoever came up with that line of crap wasn’t a parent,” He spat, his voice full of anger as he looked at her. “ Getting no news isn’t good. It’s pure torture, and I can’t take it anymore.” He added as he suddenly spun on his heel and began walking towards the double doors, but Nacht instantly stepped in front of him.

“ If you go in there right now, it’ll cause your son more harm than good,” Nacht began, his tone firm and serious. “ So if I were you, I would wait-.”

Gauche quickly cut him off.

“ ‘Wait’? Ha! That’s easy for you to say, since none of your kids were on that mission, and you’ve got nothing to worry about,” Gauche began angrily. “ Hell, despite their friends being in the squad, your brats hardly involve themselves in the Black Bulls!” Gauche continued, his voice growing louder as he grabbed the front of Nacht’s shirt roughly and glared at the older man.

“ Speaking of, why didn’t Sterling see this coming? Isn’t she supposed to know things hours, if not days, in advance? So why the hell didn’t she warn us about this sooner!”

“ It’s not exactly Sterling's job to keep tabs on your kids and their futures! Besides, it’d be too much of a strain on her to see the future of a whole group of people,” Nacht told him in an icy yet calm tone. “ And even if she could do that, it’s not like the future is set in stone.”

Gauche growled, “ So I’m just supposed to accept that my son got messed up and there’s nothing I could’ve done to stop it?!”

“ I think you will have to accept it, Mr. Adlai,” Nacht responded. “ Because whatever harmed the kids is done and in the past. It can’t be changed. It can only be dealt with in the present.”

Gauche shook his head, he didn’t want to hear it!

“ Shut up,” He muttered under his breath, his grip on Nacht’s shirt tightening. “ Just shut up you bastard!” He repeated, his voice having grown loud and angry suddenly.

As Yami and some of the other Bulls stood and began to walk over to the two, they all paused as they heard a door squeak open. Everyone in the hallway slowly turned towards the sound, and they saw Owen standing there.

And the look on his face sent everyone's hearts straight to their stomachs.

————

The Crimson Lions Base

Loud bangs and bright flashes of light could be seen and heard throughout the training area of the Crimson Lion Kings base. Some thought maybe it was Lord Fuegoleon and Lord Leo dueling, or that maybe Lady Mereoleona and Lady Elenora were causing havoc and mischief as they trained together.

But instead, it was Lord Leonidas and Lord Alistar Vangeance from the Golden Dawn training together.

Servants, and Crimson Lion members alike, stopped what they were doing to watch the two young men go back and forth. They cheered, they gasped, and the women in the crowd squealed as the sparring session continued on.

Until finally Alistar conceded defeat to Leon, making everyone roar and cheer loudly with pride at the Lion Prince’s victory!

“ You know, our sparring sessions usually end in a draw,” Leon panted a bit as he walked over to where his friend was kneeling. “ So either you were going easy on me, or you’re distracted.” He added as he held out a hand towards his friend.

“ I totally went easy on you,” Alistar responded with a cheeky grin. “ It wouldn’t be right if I kicked your butt in your own base and in front of your entire squad.” He added as he took his friend's outstretched hand.

The young Vermillion pulled his friend to his feet with a small laugh and shake of his head.

“ So, shall we discuss what has you so distracted over a glass of water here? Or would you prefer a cup of tea in my mother's private garden?” Leon asked, emphasizing the word ‘private’ as he felt some lingering eyes from a few of the ladies staring at them.

“ Umm…I think a cup of tea in your mother's private garden would be perfect.” Alistar said as his face grew red. He could feel the women’s eyes on his back, and hear their voices and their giggles float towards him.

Leon nodded and began to lead his friend towards the garden.

The two sighed as they practically flopped down onto one of the stone benches that sat under the large tree in Solara’s garden. Both took a deep breath and sighed softly as the cool breeze washed over them.

“ So, are you planning on waiting until our tea gets here to tell me what’s wrong? Or will you tell me now?” Leon asked, and he almost chuckled when he heard Alistar heave another heavy sigh.

“ Geez, you’re almost as pushy as Hikari,” Alistar muttered before he rubbed the back of his head as Leon chuckled. “ Anyway, It’s just…something feels off today.”

“ What do you mean?” Leon asked curiously as he looked up from the porcelain cup in his hand.

“ Well, last night, my father told us that we would have an emergency Captain’s meeting because Captain Yami and Vice-Captain Nacht found some information on Cerberus.” Alistar began as he stared into the depths of the amber liquid that rested in his cup. “ But then, when I was about to go to the Headquarters, my father called again and said that something urgent had come up and that the meeting had been postponed until tomorrow.”

“ Maybe Captain Yami and Vice-Captain Nacht found more information? Or maybe Hikari and the others did while they were in Hage?” Leon suggested after humming in thought.

It wasn’t unusual for Captain’s meetings to be delayed. Sometimes it was due to schedule conflicts, and sometimes it was because Asta was either behind in his paperwork or because he had run off in search of new magic or adventure.

“ I doubt it,” Alistar said with a soft sigh. “ The mission Hikari’s on doesn’t have anything to do with Cerberus…” He trailed off softly, a frown suddenly forming on his face.

No…surely that wasn’t-.

“ Alistar!” A panicked shout suddenly echoed through the garden, Leon and Alistar both turned to see Phoebe Luftair running towards them.

“ Phoebe? What’s going on?” Leon asked as he and Alistar both quickly stood.

“ You…You need to go to the infirmary at Headquarters!” She panted as she tried to catch her breath and talk at the same time, Alistar and Leon glanced at one another before looking back at Phoebe.

“ What are you talking about? What’s going on?” Alistar asked, his tone serious, but it held a worriedness to it.

Leon stepped forward and placed a gentle hand on Phoebe’s shoulder.

“ Just take a deep breath, and tell us what happened.” He urged softly, but his voice was as serious as Alistar’s. Phoebe did as her friend said and took a deep breath.

“ It’s Hikari. She and the Black Bulls were seriously injured during their mission, and it…it doesn’t look good,” Phoebe said, her grey eyes staring into his blue ones to help convey the seriousness of the situation. “ You need to go. Now.”

Alistar felt his heart sink, and a cold sweat suddenly appeared on his skin. He could see Leon’s lips moving, but he couldn’t hear a single word he was saying, because his voice was being drowned out by the loud and anxious beating of his heart.

With a slow nod, he quickly used his plant magic to create a broom out of various vines, and flew towards the Headquarters infirmary.

—------

Back at the Infirmary

As Alistar rushed down the halls of the Magic Knight Headquarters, multiple thoughts and scenarios ran through his mind. Thoughts such as how could this have happened? How injured was Hikari and the others? Who had done this?

Obviously Cerberus was involved, but just how involved were they? Did they send a group up to Hage for the sole reason of attacking the Bulls? Were they already there to begin with? Alistar quickly shook his head, now wasn’t the time to be worried about that. Right now, he had something more important that he was worried about;

Hikari.

‘ Please let her be okay. Please let her be okay!’ He frantically thought as he grew closer and closer to the doors that led to the infirmary.

Until he finally rounded one last corner and saw the big wooden door that had the sign ‘Magic Knight Infirmary’ above it.

Alistar slowly walked up to it, his breathing labored, his heart still drumming loudly in ears. What would he see on the other side, he wondered as he slowly reached out towards the door.

His hand paused in mid-air. He hadn’t realized it until now, but his hand was shaking, no, his entire body was shaking. He quickly pulled his hand back and took a deep, calming breath.

‘ She’ll be okay, so just calm down, she’ll be okay.’

With that thought in mind, he reached out again and placed his hand on the doorknob and slowly pulled it open.

As soon as Alistar pulled the door open, he heard Owen’s voice.

“ Hikari, Aloys, Ezio, and Rune are all okay. But they all suffered from major injuries and electrical burns,” Owen began as he looked at everyone. “ Rune lost his left arm, Aloys had a gash across his abdomen along with a stab wound to the shoulder, Ezio was the least injured out of all the children. He had a more serious wound across his chest along with some minor ones across his arms and hands, but otherwise he was alright, and Hikari…” Alistar inhaled sharply.

“ Hikari had the most injuries. She had a bunch of minor cuts across her face, arms, and legs. She had a serious gash across her back, and a major stab wound to her chest. But despite that, they’re all alive.” Owen concluded, and a collective sigh of relief escaped from the Bulls and Alistar.

They were injured, but they were alive. Hikari was alive, and that was what mattered. Except…

“ What about Alice and Wendy? How are they?” Henry asked, his normally slow speech seeming to pick up a bit of speed.

Owen’s face suddenly became regretful, and his eyes grew sad as he looked at Henry and Gordon directly.

“ I’m sorry…but they’re gone.”

Owen’s soft voice seemed to boom loudly in the quiet waiting area. No one moved, no one even seemed to breathe…until finally a choked voice asked.

“ I don’t understand…what do you mean they’re gone?” Gordon asked, his normally quiet voice also seemed to boom loudly in the quiet space.

“ I mean…Wendy Agrippa and Alice Legolant didn’t make it,” Owen repeated, his voice gentle as he looked at Gordon and Henry. “ Their injuries were just too great. We did everything we could…” Owen continued, although he knew deep down that his words would give no comfort to them.

The room fell silent as everyone stood there in shock. Alice and Wendy…were gone?

Alistar watched sadly as the Adlai’s comforted Gordon, and Henry crouched down with Josele and Nacht at his side. The others also began to comfort them, as well as each other.

The girls weren’t only Henry and Gordon’s kids, they were also family to the other Black Bulls as well.

Alistar suddenly felt a pair of eyes staring at him, and when he glanced up he saw it was Captain Yami who was staring at him.

“ Give us a bit, will ya brat?” His eyes told the younger man, and Alistar quickly nodded and quietly backed out of the room.

As soon as he closed the door, he could hear loud, painful cries and sobs begin on the other side…

————

Thank you all so much for reading and I hope you all have a good day!

#black clover fanfiction #black clover oc fanfiction #children of the future shadows of the past #yami sukehiro #sukehiro yami #nacht faust #gauche adlai #oc; alistar #oc; leon #oc; phoebe #oc; hikari

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