The Iron Guild sat in morbid silence, staring at the pit of Monsters before them. 

By now, other Guilds had begun to arrive behind them and, upon seeing the grim fate that awaited them, were flung into a sense of despair, with a few poor souls attempting to fight their way through the pit, only to be ripped to pieces, their screams echoing off the stone walls.

"Asta," Nico pleaded, "Please. You have to do something."

"They'll see. They'll know..." Asta whispered back. His hands were shaking so terribly that he could barely hold his sword. His stomach roiled at the sound of the shrieks of the Monsters in the pit and not even Alphonse could console him.

He was torn.

 If he led the boys out of the maze, the whole school would know that he was a Monster Lord. Though he doubted it mattered much anymore, since everything seemed to be coming to an end anyway. 

Yet there was still the matter of how the other boys would react; would they turn on him? Hurt him? And yet... If he saved all these lives, was not that worth it?

He looked at Nico then, gazing at her delicate features, her short, black shaggy hair, the slight upturn of her nose. 

Blimey, she was so beautiful, so perfect in his eyes, and if Asta could not bring himself to save all these other boys, then he COULD bring himself to save her. 

Thus, grasping her hand tightly, he looked deep into her eyes, his voice barely above the thrashing of the monsters in the pit. "Nico, if I die..."

But she only shook her head fiercly, tears in her eyes. "No, stop, don't say that! You WILL make it, we all will--"

Pressing a finger to her lips, Asta forgot to be shy, forgot to be embarrassed. Instead he was simply, at that moment, HIM, unafraid as he gently cupped her face in his hand.

 "I just wanted to say that if I don't make it... just know that I think that you are the the most beautiful girl in Tirus; you are smart, brave, and... I love you. So, so much."

Then he leaned in and kissed her.

It was soft and sweet, just like how he would have imagined it to be, and after a moment, she kissed him back. Hard. 

Asta felt her heart fluttering against his, her breath mixing with his own, and he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, pressing their bodies together. But, as so many wonderful things do, the kiss came to an end, and Asta pulled back slightly, grinning.

"You don't know how long I've waited to do that." he breathed, his heart still beating fast.

Nico chuckled lightly, "You don't know how long I've wanted you to." she then grew serious, "But we still happen to be in the maze. Have you decided what you are going to do?"

Asta breathed in once to calm his pounding heart. He then replied with only, "Yes." Then walked towards the pit. Yet before he had made it far, Nico stopped him, kissed him again briefly on the cheek, and whispered the three words that made his heart soar. 

 "I love you too."

                                ...................................

Asta stood at the edge of the pit, the Monsters writhing wildly before him, the boys anxiously whispering behind. 

To his right stood Nico, who nodded at him encouragingly, and on his left was Adar, a stone-faced guardian.

Closing his eyes, Asta took a deep breath and felt for the power that flowed inside him like liquid fire. He summoned it, pulling it from the depths of his being and letting it course through his veins, burning with power that he did not fully understand. 

This magic was alive in some way, he thought, and it whispered secrets of terrible power and the price he would pay for it. Yet it was a sacrifice Asta was willing to make, for Nico, for his friends. And with a deep breath he let the magic flood his body, already feeling the warmth of the power, as if he were on fire from the inside. Finally, the noises around him faded until there was only a rushing in his ears.

Then he led them into the pit.

All around them, the Monsters hissed and snarled, but Asta commanded them to stay back, spreading his arms wide, hands with palms facing outward, keeping them at bay. 

Vaguely, he could feel their will struggling against his own; they were trying to drain his magic, to make him powerless. They pushed against him, trying to break through the spell, binding their own magic together to destroy his barrier. Already, he could feel his limbs growing heavier as the power quickly drained from him. And though it was only another ten steps, it may as well have been ten miles-- for his body began to weaken, his steps growing slower. Slower.

 All the Monsters were crowding into them now, pushing, snarling, waiting...

Asta felt his magic begin to fade; there were too many of them, he wouldn't be able to make it. No! He could not fail now, not when they were so close.

Another six steps...

Somewhere in the distance, he heard the anguished screams of a boy who had gotten too close to the edge of the path Asta had made through the sea of Monsters. Yet as much as he wanted to, there was nothing he could do for that boy now; he just had to keep moving. 

Gasping, his lungs burned with every breath, his muscles screamed at him to stop, his skin felt like it was on fire, the flesh ready to melt from his bones. He tried to scream, yet his voice caught in his throat, the pain growing for every step they took. The Monsters began to close in.

Three more steps.

Asta was barely conscious now, his magic destroying him from within; he felt as if he ought to be a pile of ashes at that moment, yet he still kept moving, step by step. He felt his eyes growing heavier, his body turning to stone. 

One. More. Step.

With a final sigh, Asta fell forward, his magic fizzling out just as they made it to the other side of the pit and climbed out, the Monsters falling back into place and roaring as they saw their prey escaping.

Numbly, Asta heard the sound of cheering and felt hands pat him on the back as he remained on his hands and knees on the ground. 

Unsurprisingly, things grew patchy after that as his consciousness faded in and out-- the only memory in his mind being of Nico's lips against his own. Then he fell into a sleep as black as midnight, his body utterly drained from the effort of keeping back all the Monsters.

                                  ....................................

It seemed as though he slept for hours, maybe even days, but when he DID awaken, he was lying in Nico's arms in his own bed, with Adar in a chair beside them, sound asleep. 

Stirring slightly, Asat looked around the familiar room once more to make sure it wasn't a dream, and at the sound of him moving, Nico and Adar awoke with a start.

"Well," Adar said, stretching and grinning his usual, cocky smile. "Our hero awakens."

Asta rubbed his aching head, feeling like he had just been pushed down a flight of stairs. Everything hurt, from his skull down to his toes. "Is this what it feels like when YOU use too much magic?" he moaned.

"No. I've been practicing for years, so my tolerance is better. I doubt you practiced your magic much. Still, it was enough to get most of the boys through that pit."

Asta smiled; he'd done it. They were alive. He felt Nico throw her arms around him and hold him tight. "We Graduated!" she squealed in his ear, making him wince slighlty.

It was a wonderful feeling of victory, for sure. But it ended abruptly as Mr.Potter suddenly opened the door to their dorm room, his face pale and ashen.

Asta immediately stiffened. "What is it?" he asked, his voice straining with panic, "What's wrong?"

"It's the Headmaster. She wants to see us all outside."

                                    ..................................

When they arrived-- with Asta being supported between Adar and Nico-- they found that all the boys of the Academy were lined up, facing what looked to be a small army of people that Asta did not recognize.

"This doesn't look good." he heard Adar mutter.

 It was an understatement, to be sure, and Asta felt a sick feeling of dread claw its way up his stomach, making him hope he would not be sick here in front of everyone.

Yet before he could think about being sick for too long, they were lined up with the rest of the Iron Guild, facing Ivo and the Headmaster, who was smiling in the most unnerving manner possible.

It was not long before she began her speech.

"Students, today marks the day of your Graduation. Those of you who stand before me have proven worthy against our test of strength--"

Asta heard Adar snort.

"--are now ready to proceed in the final step of Graduation." the Headmaster then held up a syringe filled with a dark, purple liquid and a wickedly sharp needle shone in the sun. "Are you ready to dedicate your lives to protecting Tirus? To bringing down all of Monster kind? Are you ready to begin the Final Age?"

To Asta's dismay, most of the boys cheered wildly, while the Iron Guild exchanged uneasy glances.

'I don't like this.' Blue signed as the Headmaster sent out several soldiers to begin injecting the boys with the syrum. 'That must be the potion that wipes their memories.'

Asta glanced around wildly, looking for some means of escape when, suddenly, his eyes locked on a peculiar pendant hanging on a chain around the Headmaster's neck. 

Elegant, yet subtly made, it consisted of a blue crystal that seemed to shine from within from a powerful source, bound within a ring of silver. 

Oddly enough, he'd never seen her wear it before. Could it be...?

Even in his weary state, Asta could sense it; THAT was the relic, the thing that could extinguish all of Monster kind. The very same relic he had to destroy.

"Nico," he whispered, eyes still on the pendant. "I need my sword."

She gave him a look, "Why?"

"Because I may have just thought of a plan to save Tirus, is all."

"Is it a stupid plan?"

"Very."

She grinned. "You know I never was one to resist a stupid plan."

Thus, while she slipped away to find his sword, Asta turned to the rest of his Guild mates. "Be ready to make a distraction." he hissed, keeping one eye on the men with the syringes, who were steadily getting closer.

Adar ran a hand through his hair and winked, "I've been told I'm rather distracting..."

Asta was about ready to tell him off when he felt someone grab his wrist hard and he spun around, glaring into the eyes of the Headmaster. 

Much to his dismay, she held a syringe, edging the needle closer to his flesh, all the while saying,  "Come now, Asta. Make the right choice."

And so he did.

In one swift motion, Asta knocked the needle away with his free hand, sending the syringe flying into the grass, where Jeremiah promptly stepped on it, crushing it.

Asta then yanked his hand out of the Headmaster's grasp and bared his teeth at her in a snarl; he was done being afraid of her. He was done running. 

This time, he would stand and fight.

"I've made my choice." Asta replied coldly, his eyes drifting to the pendant. "And what I chose IS the right one."

Then he lunged for the relic, and that was when chaos errupted.

                              .........................................