The sun had barely risen over the Clover Kingdom when a golden hawk screeched across the skies, delivering a sealed message to the Akatsuki base. Inside the spacious council room of the palace, Asta and Yuno stood, reviewing their current mission scrolls. Avi, seated at the head of the obsidian table, wore his Akatsuki cloak like a shadow of purpose, a faint smile playing on his lips as he absorbed the contents of the message.
Yuno: "The Wizard King has summoned all captains and squad leaders to the Magic Knight Gathering. It's about new intel regarding the Eye of the Midnight Sun."
Asta: "And look here—it also mentions something about a mission to the Underwater Temple. They're looking for a magic stone!"
Avi's eyes narrowed. That name—"magic stone"—was a key puzzle piece in the devil's endgame. The very foundation of the coming calamities that involved the resurrection of the elves, the unleashing of devils, and the corruption of the Clover Kingdom.
Avi (thought): "So it begins. The movement toward the Shadow Palace. The Eye of the Midnight Sun seeks those stones... and behind them, Zagred watches patiently. This mission isn't just retrieval. It's bait. A trial. And a trigger."
He stood up, his expression unreadable.
Avi: "We accept the mission. Akatsuki will support the Black Bulls on this operation—quietly."
---
Avi had prepared well in advance. Using his behind-the-scenes network, he intercepted fragmented messages flowing from the Eye of the Midnight Sun's operations. He connected dots that no others could see—false leads, corrupted ruins, dimensional energy spikes. The Underwater Temple was no mere religious site. It was a lock. And someone had already begun crafting the key.
Later that evening, in the confines of his personal chamber, Avi's true form shimmered into existence. Emerald eyes gleamed from beneath a dark, layered mantle embroidered with crimson clouds. In his hand, threads of fate—magical silk formed by his system—flowed from a constellation-like artifact. Each thread connected to a piece of the current world: Yami, Vetto, Fuegoleon, even Lucius.
Avi (thought): "Asta and Yuno must witness what's coming. The fury of Vetto. The cruelty of despair. But I will decide the depth of their suffering. Enough to forge resolve. Not enough to shatter it."
With subtle threads, he rerouted several scouting parties near the Seabed Temple, ensuring none interfered with the core event. He planted illusions over magical detectors placed by spies, redirecting attention away from their presence. He also left behind a special magical ward that would absorb critical data during the encounter—a strategic surveillance move against the Eye of the Midnight Sun.
The next morning, the Akatsuki trio arrived at Raquey, the coastal town known for its connection to the Seabed Temple.
Asta: "Whaaat?! The temple's at the bottom of the sea?! How are we supposed to get there?!"
Yuno: "Mana skin. We've trained for it. You'll manage."
Avi: "Let's not forget our allies. The Black Bulls are heading there too. We'll follow their lead... but not interfere unless it's necessary."
---
Meanwhile, inside the headquarters of the Eye of the Midnight Sun, Vetto, one of the Third Eyes, meditated before a glyph-filled altar. His mana pulsated with overwhelming pressure, a representation of despair given form.
Vetto: "The Underwater Temple will soon drown in despair. Let the children of light taste true hopelessness."
Lucius Zogratis, watching through a concealed magical portal, remained hidden even from his own pawns. He recorded the event through his time-altered crystal orb.
Lucius (thought): "Asta... the boy blessed with anti-magic. And that other one... Avi. His mana signature is always layered, masked. But something about him stirs echoes even my clairvoyance cannot penetrate. How... interesting."
---
As the Akatsuki trio approached the temple with the Black Bulls, the ocean's barrier parted, thanks to Kiato and Kahono—dancers of the sea and gatekeepers of the temple. Avi briefly observed them with curiosity.
Avi (thought): "Kiato and Kahono—both victims and inheritors of fate. Their song will one day awaken ancient powers. I must ensure they survive."
After a moment of hesitation, Avi passed a discrete magical orb to Vanessa, cloaked in a spatial seal.
Avi (softly): "Use this only if death feels certain."
Vanessa blinked in confusion, but pocketed the orb.
Inside the Seabed Temple, the mood shifted. The vibrant atmosphere turned dense, oppressive. Vetto appeared in a burst of mana shockwaves, eyes glowing with sadistic purpose.
Vetto: "Despair greets you, little insects."
The battle began.
Asta fought with ferocity, his anti-magic slicing through magical defenses. Yami's arrival turned the tide, and with the Black Bulls' coordination, the fight escalated. Yuno, hiding with Avi and observing from the shadows, felt the impact of despair firsthand.
Yuno (whispering): "He's overwhelming them. Even Asta can barely keep up."
Avi: "This is your chance to understand what true battle feels like. But not yet to intervene."
Yuno clenched his fists, a storm forming around him. But Avi held out his hand.
Avi: "Trust. Watch. Learn."
Then, a surprise—Vetto activated his inner devil power, revealing black markings and monstrous strength. The temple cracked, Kiato was struck down, and Kahono lost her voice.
Avi's eyes shimmered emerald. He spoke a quiet chant. Elsewhere in the dimension, a sealed array opened—a divine restoration circle formed in secret beneath the ocean floor, hidden in space.
Kiato and Kahono's bodies were gently pulled into it, healed slowly from behind the scenes.
Avi (thought): "They must live. Their destiny is intertwined with the future battles against devils and curses."
As the tide of battle grew desperate, Vanessa—cornered, bloodied—remembered the orb Avi gave her. She crushed it.
Suddenly, a red thread of fate formed around her ankle and connected with Asta's wrist. The impact altered the trajectory of Vetto's next deadly attack. Asta pierced through Vetto's core with one final scream of willpower.
The battle was won.
But in the shadows, Avi remained motionless.
Avi (thought): "Every moment orchestrated. Every injury allowed. But death, not today. Not for them. The puppeteer remains unseen."
---
After returning to the surface, a royal messenger informed them that the Magic Knight Gathering would begin in three days. Fuegoleon Vermillion had been ambushed and severely injured during a separate Eye of the Midnight Sun attack. His grimoire had been taken.
Yuno: "Fuegoleon… no way. He was one of the strongest!"
Asta: "Then we'll get him back. We'll get all of them back!"
Avi: "And you will. But first—we prepare. What's coming... is far more dangerous than you know."
That night, as everyone rested, Avi's hidden form traversed the Kingdom. In the shadows of the royal capital, he located Fuegoleon's body being tended to in a secret chamber. The healing was slow. The fire spirit Salamander hovered near him, flickering with uncertainty.
Avi stood beside them unseen, and with a whisper, infused divine healing essence from his system into the chamber's air. Salamander blinked, then stabilized.
Avi (thought): "Even the fire of royalty must not be extinguished yet. Too many pieces remain on the board."
From high above the kingdom, Avi watched the moon with emerald eyes.
Avi (thought): "Let the world believe in chaos and fate. I'll be the silent hand that rewrites destiny."
[To be continued…]