Chapter 14: Shadows

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I was going down the stairs to the main hall of the golden dawn headquarters. As usual, I was the first one to be ready. I sat on one of couches near the entrance and just waited for the others. I decided to close my eyes and think about everything that has happened so far. My life back at the village, the journey with Asta and Yuno to take the entrance exam in the capital, and finally, all of the adventures I've lived with my squad until this day. It has been many months since I first joined the Golden Dawn, I started to have a flashback to when we were kids. Asta, Yuno and I were relaxing on the roof of the church admiring the great view of the village, Asta was standing while I was laying on my back and Yuno was seated. Suddenly Asta spoke up.

Asta: "Yuno, (Y/N). We are family right?"

Yuno: "Yeah."

(Y/N): "Of course."

Asta: "But, we are not blood related at all."

Yuno: "Yeah....."

(Y/N): "I guess."

Asta: "However, we are closer than anyone who is related by blood, right?"

(Y/N): "What are you trying to say?" I asked confused.

Yuno: "Yeah, what brought this on?" he added.

Asta: "What I'm trying to say is that...... we don't have any blood relatives...but all of the friends we've met, and all of the friends we will meet someday, are people we should consider our family." He said cheerfully.

Yuno and I stared back at Asta who was smiling at us, we returned the smile and agreed with him. He was right, we may never know who our true family was, but that didn't stop us from having one. Yuno, Asta, the rest of the kids on the church, as well as father and Sister Lily, they were all our family. And now-

I opened my eyes and saw that my friends were already beginning to come down to the where I was at, they all waved at me with a smile after noticing me, I returned the gesture and got up from my seat.

(Y/N): (-My squadmates.... my friends..... they were now my family; one I was happy to be part of.)

I began to make my way towards the group, almost all of us were ready, we were just waiting for the captain and the rest to show up to get going. Klaus was instructing something to Yuno while he just ignored him, Mimosa was chatting with Letoile and David was talking with Hamon and Shiren. Once he saw me, he signaled me to join the group.

David: "Hey (Y/N)! How you doing?"

(Y/N): "Everything all right. How about you guys?"

David: "We're all doing fine. We were just planning on where to eat after today's assignment."

(Y/N): "Well, I say we let Hamon decide, his food knowledge far exceeds ours."

Shiren: "You got that right."

Hamon: *laughs* "I told you he would say that."

David: *chuckles* "Fine, whatever."

(Y/N): "So, any news about this mission?"

David: "No clue. The only thing we know is that the guys we captured from the eye of the midnight sun told us one of the stones was hidden in that location."

(Y/N): "And where are we going exactly?"

Shiren: "Supposedly it's an ancient magical tomb found near the border of the spade kingdom."

(Y/N): "The spade...kingdom?"

Shiren: "Correct. We should not worry about them; they wouldn't dare invade the clover kingdom."

David: "And if they did, we would easily defeat them anyway."

(Y/N): "R-Right, well it was nice talking to you guys. Guess I'll go greet the others."

David: "Sure man, Go ahead."

I separated from the group and decided to go say hello to the others. However, something was still on my mind. The spade kingdom.... I didn't know much about it and never was interested in visiting it because of the stories I've heard, but, for a brief moment, I swear I felt a familiar sensation after hearing its name, a feeling of....... obligation. I didn't quite understand what it meant, so for the time being, I ignored it. I switched back to reality and approached Yuno and Klaus, who were still in the middle of a lecture.

(Y/N): "Uh, what is going on here?"

Klaus: "Ah (Y/N)! Good morning, I was just ordering Yuno here to not go overboard with his magic." He stated while adjusting his glasses.

Yuno: "You can't be serious." He replied with an emotionless expression.

(Y/N): *smirks* "Haha! And you say I cause trouble."

Klaus: "Now that I think about it....... (Y/N)." Klaus directed his attention towards me.

(Y/N): "Err....... yes?"

Klaus: "I think you should do the same. Your magic is just as destructive as Yuno's."

(Y/N): ".... I disagree."

Mimosa then walked over to us after finishing her conversation, and joined our group, greeting us in the process.

Mimosa: "Good morning you three!" She smiled.

Yuno: "Hey."

(Y/N): "Morning."

Klaus: "Good morning Mimosa."

Mimosa: "What are you guys up to?"

Klaus: "I was just telling these two to not go over the limit while using their magic. I do not want the whole place coming down on us because of them."

Mimosa: "Ummm.....I don't think that is a good idea." She said bluntly.

Klaus: "What?" he asked in disbelief because of Mimosa taking our side.

(Y/N): "Hah, see! At least she gets it!" I taunted.

Klaus: "Be quiet! Mimosa, please explain?"

Mimosa: "Instead of restraining them from using their whole power.... you should teach them how to control it."

Klaus: "Err....."

(Y/N): "I think she does a better job at instructing than you do." I mocked with a grin on my face.

Klaus: "Hmph. I guess that works too."

We all exchanged a laugh before Lord Vangeance finally appeared, Langris walking in beside him. All of us present in the hall immediately gathered and awaited the captain's instructions.

William: "Good morning everyone. I see we are all ready to move out."

Everyone nodded, I could see some were still a bit sleepy while others were excited. It was not every day we woke up early in the morning to complete a mission, and if we did, it meant it was of great importance.

William: "In that case, let's go. I'll give you more details about this place on our way there."

And with that, everyone went outside and got on their brooms ready to depart, well, everyone except for Yuno, who no longer used his broom ever since he found out how to use his wind attribute for flight. A couple of minutes later the captain began to explain everything we should now about today's operation.

William: "I'm sure some of you know already, but the place we are headed is found near the border of the spade kingdom."

I could hear it in his tone that he was cautious about this. The spade kingdom is known for its hostile relationship with the rest of the countries, but we haven't seen any sign of wanting to invade for the time being.

William: "There is high chance the eye of the midnight sun is already there. So, we must be on our guard at all times."

I can't quite describe it, but there was this uneasy feeling about all of this. Klaus told me that the captured mages from the eye of the midnight sun informed us of this location after being interrogated, there was a chance they could be sending us into a trap and maybe the captain knew it. Nevertheless, if they were indeed there, we would take them down and stand victorious.

The journey went on normally as usual, the captain kept briefing us the small details, like the layout of the tomb or the magical properties it had to use it to our advantage. I pulled up my sleeve and took a look at my bracelet, I could feel a faint flow of magic from it, but it still had a long way to go. Ever since that day, I frequently thought about what Jeo had informed me, I didn't realize it at the time, but he certainly saw something inside me that encouraged him to teach me everything he could. Whatever it was, I just hope I am on the right path.

After a long journey, we finally arrived at our destination. At times like this I wished we had someone with spatial magic besides Langris on our squad, it would be way easier to travel from one location to another rather than taking a long ass time in our brooms. We landed on the ground and began to inspect the place, there were almost no buildings whatsoever, the whole environment consisted of grass and small trees. We then noticed the entrance to the tomb, from which it seemed to lead underground. William ordered us to search around for any traces of enemy forces in the surrounding area. After a quick look, and to our surprise, it seemed there was no indication that anyone had been here before, or.....so we thought. Not even a minute passed before we had incoming attacks from inside the entrance to the catacombs.

Terrorist: "Crap! There are more outside!" the robed mage yelled to his friends inside.

However, there was something I caught at first glance. The mage appeared to be agitated, this was further proved by the obvious tone of panic and fear in his voice. I looked in confusion at the others, who had my same reaction. Not to mention what he had said, "There are more", were other magic knights on this mission?

Once again, the terrorist mages casted various spells at us, from which one of them was directed to me. I easily countered it and spotted something bizarre, the spell that the mage casted at me was surprisingly weak, it was like they had barely any mana left in them. At this point, I knew something was going on. Someone was here before us and attacked these now exhausted mages, the only question left was who did it and were they still around?

The mages tried their best to defend themselves, but the superiority in numbers and mana decided the quick fight. They were taken out. Afterwards, we all regrouped to discuss what was on everyone's mind at the moment.

Langris: "Captain.....are we expecting reinforcements?" He asked with a puzzled yet serious expression.

William: "No. From what I was told, we would be the only squad to take part in this mission." William informed.

Klaus: "Th-Then who......"

William: "Hmmm.... We must find out who attacked these mages and see if they are still around."

(Y/N): "I have a bad feeling about this...."

William: "So do I. Watch each other's back once inside."

(Y/N): "Right."

William: "All right, let's go inside and meet our uninvited guests."

As he said this, all of us prepared to enter the catacombs, we would soon find out whether those who were inside were friend.... or foe. After walking a few meters inside the tunnel, the light that shined from the outside slowly began to fade to the point where there was hardly any left, darkness began to consume the entire place. Fortunately, we were able to light up a few torches we found on the way and used them to see up ahead. The place itself had an eerie feel to it, it looked like a combination of natural caves with man-made structures mixed in. Every now and then we would pass through small sections which had artificial stone walls and ceilings, only to find ourselves in the cave portion once again. There was no sound or movement whatsoever and everyone began to feel rather uneasy because of this. Regardless, the captain fearlessly pushed forward knowing that if were to be ambushed, we would protect each other.

After walking for quite some time in a straight line, we noticed that the cave portion of the tomb was now left behind after entering through a medium-sized stone doorway and into a strange room. everything around us now consisted of mossy stone walls and ancient decorations, like the chandeliers that hanged from the ceiling. We seemed to have reached a room which had four separate hallways, two on the left and two on the right, each leading to a different path.

Klaus: "This place is rather odd."

(Y/N): "Yeah."

William: "I agree. Be on the lookout for magical traps, ancient tombs are deadlier than dungeons because of their superior artifacts."

(Y/N): "What kind of artifacts?"

William: "It is said that the old kings and emperors would normally possess magic items that contained enormous amounts of power. At the time of the ruler's death, these items were buried along with them."

(Y/N): "I have to say I've never heard about this."

David: "Me neither."

William: *chuckles* "Unlike dungeons, which are infamous for their treasures and powerful artifacts, magical tombs are places where various items are safely stored to ensure they would not fall to the wrong hands."

There was a very short pause, then the captain continued as he saw that most of us were still confused.

William: "They are widely known for their unique appearance and their very rare abilities not seen before on any other kingdom."

(Y/N): "What kind of abilities?"

William: "It depends......they are some that focuses on defense while others are more offensive. Then there are those that enhance the wearer in different ways."

David: "I'm not understanding anything...."

Everyone was trying to think about how these items worked, they do sound similar to those that are used on today's world, but if they are ancient items, it means that they must have something that gives them an advantage over the items they sell today.

William: "However......"

We all looked at the captain, who was apparently not finished.

William: "Even if someone manages to retrieve one of these items, they would not be able to use them to their full capacity, the reason for that is because the ancient mages would seal away a large portion of their power to make sure only those who has a connection with the old kings would be able to use it."

Letoile: "A connection to the old kings?"

Klaus: "I'm guessing it has something to do with bloodlines or other things like that."

(Y/N): (huh, that sounds very familiar.....could it be.....)

I looked down at my bracelet once again, everything the captain said sounded like how I found my accessory. Passed down through generations, and carefully stored so no one could take it. Could my bracelet be one of these ancient items?

William: "Anyways, we can talk about this later. Right now, we must focus on the task at hand."

Golden Dawn: "Right."

William: "Looks like there is no other way but through the tunnels. Mimosa, could you do the honors?"

Mimosa: "R-Right!"

Mimosa opened here grimoire and used her magic flower outpost spell to scan the place around us, multiple vines gathered around the small area and various petals started to grow at the top, it displayed a detailed hologram of the tomb's whole layout. The four paths all seemed to lead to an even deeper level, each path having its own individual cave that all connected to a larger room in the middle.

William: "That must be the main chamber."

Langris: "What path should we take? They all seem to be the same." He asked while analyzing the four lanes, not being able to tell the difference.

William: (There is something odd about this room.....I would like to inspect it a while longer. But.....we must keep moving.) William thought to himself, unsure of what would be the best course of action.

"All right, I'll be sending four pairs to scout up ahead. The rest will stay here and look for more clues."

We all nodded and awaited his instructions. I'm sure the captain knew it as well, but I had this feeling we were overlooking something.

William: "(Y/N), Yuno. You two along with Letoile and Mimosa will be taking the two paths from the right. Klaus and David as well as Shiren and Alecdora, you four will take the remaining two."

Yuno/(Y/N): "All right."

William: "The rest stay here and look for anything useful to find out who we are up against."

Everyone: "Yes Lord Vangeance!"

The four pairs then formed up and immediately went to investigate the narrow hallways ahead of them. On the right, Yuno and (Y/N) took one path while Mimosa and Letoile took the other.

(Y/N): "I'm not even sure why are we doing this."

Yuno: "The captain wants to make sure everything is in the clear."

(Y/N): "Fair enough, but if I'm being honest, those other mages are most likely not even aware of our presence."

Yuno: "You can never be too sure."

(Y/N): "Right..."

Yuno and I kept walking forward without finding anything of interest. However, what caught our attention was that the walls around us had burn and scratch marks from time to time, after inspecting the walls we concluded that someone had fought here previously as Yuno remarked there were faint traces of mana he did not recognize left in the area.

Yuno: "This can't be the work of bandits."

(Y/N): "How do you know?"

Yuno: "Based on our past battles with the eye of the midnight sun, they are a well-coordinated group, and they have several strong mages as well. So -"

(Y/N): "-So there is no way they could have lost against a team of bandits."

Yuno: "Exactly. Besides that, they were here for the magic stone, so they must have sent a tough force knowing we would be here."

(Y/N): "Color me impressed, your attention to detail is amazing."

Yuno: "I couldn't say the same for you."

(Y/N): "Hold up now, what the hell is that supposed to mean?!"

Yuno ignored me and kept walking, even if I could barely see him, I could tell he was smirking. I was about to say something until we both noticed that we reached an intersection between our path and another one to our left.

(Y/N): "That's weird. Does that mean...."

We saw a light in the far end of the second tunnel, once it got closer we were able to recognize their mana, it was Letoile and Mimosa.

(Y/N): "I got an idea." I smiled mischievously as I concealed my mana.

I quickly hid behind one of the rocks that was to the side of the trail, and waited patiently for both of them to pass.

Yuno: "What are you doing?"

(Y/N): "Shhh!"

Yuno: "You can't be serious....." He deadpanned as he saw the two girls get closer.

Mimosa: "Yuno? How did you get here?"

Yuno: "Our paths seem to cross in this location."

Letoile: "That's good I guess. We can explore the route up ahead together. But.... if you're here, where is (Y/N)?"

Meanwhile, (Y/N) was already sneaking up behind the two unsuspecting girls without making any sound. Once he was close enough, you can already imagine how the encounter went.

(Y/N): "BOO!"

Letoile/Mimosa: "EEEEK!"

The two girls jumped from the scare and opened their grimoires, aiming their spells at the one behind them.

(Y/N): "HHAHAHA! Chill out, it's just me!" I said while laughing.

However, I stopped laughing after I felt one of Letoile's needles poking my abdomen. I took a glance at the two girls and saw that they had a furious look on their faces. I sweat dropped at the sight, knowing full fell this would not end well for me.

Letoile: "Give me one good reason not to straight up murder you right now."

(Y/N): "Err.....because I'm your.... friend?"

I could feel Letoile's needles sink deeper into my stomach, guess she wasn't taking that as an excuse. Guess I'll just have to apologize to them the old-fashioned way.

(Y/N): "Fine. I'll buy you guys food after this, you happy?"

I could see Letoile smirk as she pulled the needles away from me, making them disappear moments later. That secret technique always works. But something told me that it would not be cheap.

Mimosa: "I can't believe you would do that to us." She pouted.

(Y/N): "Hey! You owed me one from back then, remember?"

Mimosa:

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