Chapter 2: The Snap
POV: Father Orsi
Father Orsi wiped the sweat from his brow as he gently rocked Nash in his arms, the infant's soft coos mixing with the afternoon breeze that swept across Hage Village. The sun hung high in the clear sky, casting long shadows from the simple wooden buildings that made up their humble home. Beside him, Sister Lily held baby Recca, her gentle humming adding to the peaceful atmosphere that surrounded the church orphanage.
"Father Orsi! Sister Lily! Watch this!" Asta's voice boomed across the courtyard as the energetic four-year-old attempted what could generously be called a cartwheel, though it looked more like an enthusiastic tumble through the dirt.
"Asta, be careful," Sister Lily called out with a fond smile, adjusting Recca in her arms. "You'll hurt yourself if you're not—"
"I did it! Did you see? I'm gonna be the strongest!" Asta shouted, completely ignoring the fact that he'd face-planted into a patch of grass.
Yuno, standing several feet away, watched his adoptive brother with what might have been amusement flickering in his golden eyes. "That wasn't a cartwheel, Asta. It was more like controlled falling."
"It was amazing!" Asta protested, jumping to his feet and brushing dirt from his messy ash-blonde hair. "Right, Father? Sister Lily?"
Father Orsi chuckled, the warm sound mixing with Nash's contented babbling. "Very impressive, Asta. Though perhaps—"
SNAP
The sound cut through reality like thunder, sharp and crystalline, reverberating not just through the air but through the very fabric of existence itself. It was impossibly loud—a sound that seemed to emanate from everywhere and nowhere, carrying across hundreds of kilometers as if the world itself had cracked.
Father Orsi stumbled backward, his grip tightening protectively around Nash as the infant immediately began wailing. But the crying was almost drowned out by something far more impossible—the world around them was changing.
Color bled into reality like spilled paint, vibrant and alive, transforming their simple courtyard into something that belonged in a dream. The browns and greens of the countryside exploded into brilliant purples, electric blues, and golden yellows that moved and flowed as if they had consciousness. The very air shimmered with animation, lines and shapes dancing through space in impossible ways that hurt to look at directly.
"What in the—" Father Orsi's words died in his throat as the animated chaos swirled before them, reality bending and twisting like pages in a cosmic book.
Sister Lily gasped, instinctively pulling Recca closer to her chest as the baby's cries joined Nash's terrified wailing. "Father, what's happening?"
And then, in the center of the swirling maelstrom of color and impossibility, a figure materialized.
A boy was falling—no, plummeting—through the animated space, his scream of terror cutting through the surreal atmosphere. He couldn't have been more than six years old, but everything about his appearance defied comprehension. Stark white hair whipped around his face, and his eyes blazed with an otherworldly whitish light that seemed to hold depths of knowledge no child should possess. He wore a pristine white suit that belonged in a formal gathering, not falling from impossible heights, with an elegant X where a tie should have been.
"AHHHHHHHHHH!" the boy screamed, his voice raw with terror and confusion as he tumbled through the air.
Nash and Recca's crying reached a fever pitch, their infant minds unable to process the assault on reality happening before them. Recca thrashed in Sister Lily's arms while Nash's tiny fists waved frantically.
Yuno's mouth fell open, his usually composed demeanor shattered as he stared with wide golden eyes at the impossible scene unfolding before them. His analytical mind struggled to categorize what he was witnessing, failing to find any logical explanation.
But Asta—Asta's eyes lit up like stars.
"AWESOME!" he shouted over the chaos, his voice filled with pure, unbridled excitement. "That's the coolest thing I've ever seen! How is he doing that?!"
As suddenly as it had begun, the animated chaos snapped back to normal. The colors drained away like water, the impossible geometry collapsed into familiar three-dimensional space, and the world returned to its mundane appearance. But the boy continued falling, his white hair darkening to black even as Father Orsi watched, his blazing eyes shifting to normal brown, and his formal white suit transforming into simple commoner's clothing—brown pants and a beige shirt that would fit in perfectly among Hage Village's residents.
The transformation was complete by the time Sister Lily's training kicked in.
"Water Creation Magic: Holy Hands of Love" she called out, her grimoire floating beside her as magical circles appeared in the air. Hands made of crystalline water materialized beneath the falling boy, catching him gently but firmly before he could crash into the hard-packed earth.
The water hands lowered him carefully to the ground, where he landed in a crouch, breathing heavily. For a moment, the boy simply knelt there, his new black eyes wide with shock and slightly bloodshot from his ordeal. Then he looked up at the clear blue sky and screamed with raw indignation.
"THAT WAS A LITTLE MORE THAN DRAMATIC!"
The outburst was so unexpected, so filled with genuine outrage, that it cut through even Nash and Recca's crying. The babies, perhaps sensing that the immediate threat had passed, began to quiet soft whimpers and hiccups.
Father Orsi stood frozen for a heartbeat, his mind still reeling from what he'd witnessed. Colors that moved like living things, a child appearing from nowhere, reality itself bending like paper—it was beyond anything he'd experienced in his years serving the church. But then his pastoral instincts kicked in, and he gently transferred Nash to Sister Lily's free arm.
"Sister, please take the children inside," he said quietly, his voice steady despite the tremor he felt. "I'll... I'll speak with the boy."
Sister Lily nodded, understanding immediately. Whatever had just happened, they needed to handle it carefully. "Come along, Yuno. Asta, inside."
"But I want to—" Asta began to protest.
"Inside, Asta," Sister Lily repeated firmly, though her voice was kind. "Father Orsi will handle this."
Yuno followed without argument, still staring at the boy who had appeared from impossible circumstances. But Asta required a gentle but insistent push toward the door, his green eyes locked on the newcomer with barely contained excitement.
Once they were alone, Father Orsi approached the boy slowly, putting on his most reassuring smile—though it felt somewhat forced after the reality-shattering experience he'd just witnessed. The boy was still crouched on the ground, looking around with those wide, dark eyes as if seeing the world for the first time.
____________________________________________________
POV change: Kenji POV
One moment I was screaming through dimensional space, the next I was plummeting through what looked like a living painting.
The world around me was alive—colors swirled and danced in patterns that defied physics, moving with the same fluid grace I'd watched Hero X manipulate reality with. Brilliant purples bled into electric blues, golden streams of light curved through impossible geometries, and the very air seemed to pulse with animated energy. It was exactly like the scenes from "To Be Hero X" when X would alter reality, when the animation itself would shift to show his power reshaping the world.
This is what X sees, I thought with a mixture of terror and wonder as I continued falling. This is what reality looks like when it's being rewritten.
Then, as suddenly as it had begun, everything snapped back to normal. The living colors drained away like water, the impossible patterns collapsed into mundane three-dimensional space, and I found myself falling through ordinary blue sky toward an ordinary village courtyard.
But I was still falling, and the ground was getting very close very fast.
Crystalline hands made of water materialized beneath me, catching me with surprising gentleness before I could become a Kenji-shaped crater in the dirt. The magic felt cool against my skin as the water constructs lowered me carefully to the ground.
I landed in a crouch, my legs shaking from the adrenaline and shock. For several long moments, I just knelt there, breathing heavily and trying to process what had just happened. My hands, looking a lot smaller than they used to be, pressed against the packed earth as I struggled to gather my bearings.
I'm really here, I thought, staring at my child-sized fingers. I'm actually in the Black Clover universe, and I'm...
I looked down at myself, taking in the simple brown pants and beige shirt that had replaced the white suit I'd been wearing during my dramatic entrance. My hair, when I pulled a strand in front of my eyes, was black instead of the white it had been moments ago.
The ROB wasn't kidding about the dramatic entrance settling into something normal.
The reality of my situation hit me like a truck. I was six years old again, in a world where magic was real, where social hierarchy was determined by power, where—
I looked up at the clear blue sky and couldn't contain my outrage any longer.
"THAT WAS A LITTLE MORE THAN DRAMATIC!"
My voice cracked slightly on the last word, reminding me that I was indeed a child now. But honestly, that omnipotent being could have warned me better about the whole "falling through animated reality" part of the experience.
As my breathing slowly returned to normal, I became aware of voices nearby. A man was approaching—tall, kind-faced, wearing simple priestly robes. Father Orsi, if my memory of the series was correct. Behind him, I could see a woman with long, flowing hair holding two babies, and two small figures being ushered toward a building.
Asta and Yuno, I realized with a start. They're so small.
"Hello there, young man," Father Orsi said gently, his voice warm despite what must have been considerable shock at witnessing my reality-bending entrance. "I'm Father Orsi. I run the church here in Hage Village. What's your name, child?"
I looked up at him, and for a moment felt overwhelmed by the kindness in his eyes. This man had just witnessed something impossible, and his first instinct was to make sure I was okay.
Kenji Nakamura doesn't exist in this world, I thought quickly. But Kenji... that could work as just a first name.
"I'm..." I paused, letting genuine confusion show on my face. "My name is Kenji."
"Nice to meet you, Kenji," he replied, his smile becoming more genuine. "Can you tell me where you came from? Do you remember what just happened here?"
I let my brow furrow as I pretended to search through memories. The truth was complicated—I remembered everything about my previous life and my conversation with the ROB, but claiming amnesia would be easier than trying to explain interdimensional reincarnation.
"I... I don't remember," I said, injecting genuine uncertainty into my voice. "I don't know where I came from, or what that was." I looked around at the simple village, taking in the humble buildings and dirt paths. "Um... where am I, exactly?"
"You're in Hage Village, in the forsaken realm of the Clover Kingdom," Father Orsi explained gently. "Would you like to come inside? We can talk more there, and perhaps Sister Lily can get you something to eat."
At the mention of food, my stomach chose that moment to growl loudly, reminding me that this new body hadn't eaten anything. "Yes, please. I... I think I'd like that."
Father Orsi extended his hand, and after a moment's hesitation, I took it. His palm was warm and calloused from years of work, and something about the simple gesture made my chest tight with emotion I hadn't expected, embarrassment.
I am a 22 year old man, this is so embarrassing acting like this!
As we approached the church door, I noticed it was slightly ajar with a distinctive green eye peering through the crack. I had to bite back a smile—Asta was already living up to his reputation for boundless curiosity.
Father Orsi opened the door fully, and immediately Asta tumbled out, his face red with embarrassment. In his fall, he grabbed onto Yuno's leg and sent both boys crashing to the floor in a tangle of limbs.
"Asta!" Sister Lily scolded, though her voice held more exasperation than real anger. "What have I told you about eavesdropping?"
"I wasn't eavesdropping!" Asta protested from his position on the floor. "I was just... really interested listening!"
"That's the definition of eavesdropping, you idiot," Yuno said with characteristic bluntness, trying to extract himself from Asta's accidental embrace.
I couldn't help it—I started laughing. The whole situation was so perfectly Asta, so exactly what I'd expected from watching the series, that the absurdity of it all hit me at once. Here I was, reincarnated into an anime world with reality-manipulating powers, and I was watching the future Wizard King and his rival wrestling on the floor like normal kids.
My laughter immediately drew everyone's attention back to me. Asta's head snapped up, his green eyes widening as he took in my presence. He shot to his feet with impressive speed, leaving Yuno sprawled on the floor, and ran over to me with stars practically shining in his eyes.
"That was so cool! How did you do that? Are you a wizard? Can you teach me? What was that colorful stuff? Can you fly? Are you from the noble realm? Why were you screaming? That was awesome!" Asta fired off questions at machine-gun pace, his voice getting louder with each word.
Yuno followed at a much slower pace, his golden eyes studying me with curiosity but approaching more timidly than his adoptive brother.
The volume and rapid-fire nature of Asta's questions made me freeze for a second, my brain struggling to process the enthusiastic barrage. But then I smiled, about to attempt answering at least some of them, when Father Orsi stepped in.
"Asta, calm down," he said gently but firmly. "Give Kenji some space. He's had quite an ordeal."
Sister Lily stepped forward, and I got my first clear look at the woman who would become such an important figure in Asta and Yuno's lives. She was even more beautiful than the anime had portrayed, with kind silver eyes and an aura of gentle warmth.
"This is Sister Lily," Father Orsi introduced. "Sister, this is Kenji. He'll be joining us for a while."
"It's nice to meet you, Kenji," Sister Lily said with a warm smile. "You must be hungry. Let me get you something to eat."
She led us toward what I assumed was the kitchen, while Father Orsi turned to Asta and Yuno. "You two need to finish your chores before lunch."
"But—" Asta started to protest.
"Chores first," Father Orsi said with gentle firmness. "You can talk with Kenji more at lunch."
Both boys reluctantly headed off, though I caught Asta looking back at me several times with barely contained excitement.
The kitchen was simple but homey, with a large wooden table and chairs that had clearly seen years of use. Sister Lily busied herself preparing what looked like potatoes while Father Orsi and I sat down across from each other.
"Now then," Father Orsi said, his voice kind but serious. "Can you remember anything about where you're from? We'd like to help you get home if possible."
I considered this carefully. I needed to establish a background that would explain my presence without raising too many questions. The Clover Kingdom was isolated enough that claiming to be from elsewhere wouldn't be easily verified.
The best lies are mostly truth, I thought. I'm not from this kingdom, and I don't recognize the name because I'm literally from another world. Not technically lying.
"I... I don't think I'm from the Clover Kingdom," I said slowly, as if trying to remember. "I don't recognize that name at all."
Father Orsi's eyebrows rose slightly. "That's... unusual. You must be from quite far away then. Another continent, perhaps?"
Perfect. Let him draw his own conclusions.
I had decided that acting like I wasn't from here was the best approach. Nobody knew me in this world, and there was no point in lying about not remembering where I was from when the truth—that I was from an entirely different reality—was so close to that story anyway.
"Would you like to stay here for the time being?" Father Orsi asked gently. "At least until we can figure out how to get you home, or until someone comes looking for you?"
The offer was exactly what I'd hoped for, but I made sure to show appropriate hesitation before nodding. "If... if it wouldn't be too much trouble. I don't want to be a burden."
"Nonsense," Father Orsi said with a warm smile. "We'd be happy to have you."
"Lunch is ready!" Sister Lily called out, and I heard the thunder of small feet as Asta and Yuno came running.
As we all sat around the table—Sister Lily had prepared simple but hearty food that smelled amazing—Father Orsi made his announcement.
"Everyone, Kenji will be living with us from now on. I want you all to get along and help him feel welcome."
Asta's face lit up like the sun. "Really?! That's awesome! We're gonna be the best of friends! I'll show you everything! We can train together! This is so cool!"
Yuno, more timid but clearly interested, simply nodded. "Welcome," he said quietly.
As I looked around the table at these people who had so quickly accepted a strange boy who'd fallen from the sky, I felt something warm settle in my chest. Father Orsi's gentle kindness, Sister Lily's maternal warmth, Asta's boundless enthusiasm, Yuno's quiet acceptance, and even the soft gurgling of the babies—it all felt more like home than anything I'd experienced in my previous life.
This doesn't seem so bad, I thought, taking a bite of the simple but delicious food. Maybe this is where my new life really begins.
And as Asta launched into an animated explanation of all the "awesome" things we could do together, I found myself genuinely smiling for the first time since arriving in this world.