4: The First Mission
The morning sun streamed through the warped windows of the Black Bulls' base, its rays scattering off hovering dust motes and the occasional stray spark of mana.
Lucian woke to the faint sound of explosions. He sat up slowly, blinking at the clock.
6:00 a.m.
"Too early for this," he muttered, rubbing his temples.
The door burst open.
"Rise and shine, newbie!" Magna roared, a fiery aura flaring around him. "We got ourselves a mission!"
Lucian sighed. "I had a feeling you'd say that."
Magna grinned. "That's the spirit! You, me, Asta, and Noelle — the Captain says it's a 'good warm-up.'"
Lucian blinked. "Define 'warm-up.'"
Magna smirked. "Something between 'simple errand' and 'apocalyptic disaster.' You'll get used to it."
Lucian groaned quietly. "I'm sure I will."
Departure
By midmorning, the four stood outside the base as Yami Sukehiro briefed them, cigarette dangling from his mouth.
"Listen up. There's a mana disturbance in Sosshi Village — crops dying, monsters popping up, villagers screaming. Figure it out, fix it, and don't burn down the kingdom."
Asta saluted with his usual enthusiasm. "Yes, sir!"
Yami's sharp gaze flicked to Lucian. "You, silver-hair. Don't blow a hole in the countryside with your fancy magic."
Lucian nodded. "I'll try not to."
"Good." Yami turned to leave. "And if it's something too strong to handle — just hit it harder."
Asta grinned. "That's the best advice ever!"
Lucian sighed. "That… explains a lot about this squad."
Sosshi Village
The trip through the countryside was pleasant enough — until they reached the outskirts of Sosshi.
The air changed. It hummed unnaturally, like the world itself was holding its breath. The sky was clear, yet shadows moved beneath the soil.
Lucian stopped, placing a hand on the ground. "Mana here… it's twisted. Like something's feeding on it."
Noelle frowned. "Feeding? You mean—"
"Something's consuming the mana directly. That's why the crops are dying."
Before they could react, the ground split open, and dark, oily mist poured out, forming into monstrous shapes — beasts with jagged limbs and eyes glowing violet.
Villagers screamed and scattered.
Asta drew his sword instantly. "Let's go!"
"Try not to destroy the village," Lucian said dryly, opening his grimoire.
Asta grinned. "No promises!"
Battle
The first wave came fast — twisted mana beasts lunging with inhuman speed. Asta met them head-on, his anti-magic blade cutting through the corrupted energy like paper.
Magna leaped into the air, fire bursting around him. "Feel the heat! Exploding Fireball!"
The explosion sent debris flying — and half a hut's roof with it.
"MAGNA!" Noelle yelled. "Watch what you're doing!"
"Relax! It's a fixer-upper anyway!"
Lucian's voice cut through the chaos, calm and clear. "Everyone, hold your ground. Don't scatter — their strength grows when the mana is unstable."
He raised his hand, eyes glowing faintly.
"Omni Magic: Elemental Suppression Field!"
The air shimmered as a dome of balanced energy expanded outward, quelling the wild fluctuations. The beasts hesitated, their bodies flickering like dying embers.
Asta blinked. "What the—? The air feels… normal again!"
"Maintain focus," Lucian said quietly. "We're stabilizing the field."
Noelle took a deep breath, her water magic forming with perfect clarity inside the dome. "Now this I can work with."
She unleashed a torrent of crystalline water that swept through the weakened beasts, dissolving them in a glittering mist.
Magna whistled. "Nice one, princess!"
"Call me that again and I'll drown you," she snapped.
But the ground trembled. The suppression field flickered.
Lucian's head shot up. "Something stronger is still here."
The soil exploded as a colossal creature emerged — its form ever-shifting, cycling through fire, stone, wind, and lightning. Its roar shook the sky.
Asta's grin widened. "Now that's more like it!"
"Of course you'd say that," Lucian muttered.
The monster swung a molten claw. Lucian teleported Asta out of the way with a flick of his wrist — a ripple of space bending around them.
"Whoa! You can teleport?!" Asta yelled midair.
"Technically, fold space," Lucian corrected. "Now hit it while it's open!"
Asta's blade struck — and passed harmlessly through smoke as the creature turned to wind.
Lucian's mind raced. It's rotating through elemental phases. Every few seconds it switches. No single affinity will hurt it for long.
He opened his grimoire again. The blank pages began to glow — not one color, but all of them.
"Omni Magic: Elemental Convergence."
The world seemed to still as energy gathered in his palms — fire merging with water, light twining with shadow, wind binding to earth. It was chaos and harmony at once.
He thrust his hands forward.
The sphere expanded, releasing a wave of balanced mana. The creature froze, its unstable essence unraveling.
For a brief moment, time itself felt still — then the monster shattered, dispersing into pure light.
The silence that followed was almost holy.
The villagers peeked from their homes. The air was clear again, mana flowing evenly through the land.
Lucian dropped to one knee, breathing hard. The effort of maintaining multiple elemental balances had nearly drained him.
Asta ran over, eyes wide. "That was insane! You used, like, every kind of magic!"
Lucian chuckled weakly. "That's… the idea. Omni Magic doesn't specialize — it harmonizes. But it takes… everything I've got to keep it from consuming me."
Noelle offered him a hand. "Then learn to control it. You'll need to."
He smiled faintly, taking it. "I intend to."
Aftermath
They found the source of the corruption — a crystal buried near the crops, pulsing with dark mana. Lucian examined it carefully.
"This isn't natural. Someone planted it here — intentionally."
Magna frowned. "You think this is the Eye of the Midnight Sun's doing?"
"Maybe," Lucian said softly. "But this feels older. Like a curse from before their time."
He sealed the crystal in a containment orb of pure mana. "We'll let the Captain decide."
Return
By the time they reached the Black Bulls' base, night had fallen. The crooked mansion glowed warmly against the dark forest.
Yami waited outside, as if he'd known exactly when they'd arrive.
"Nobody's dead?"
"Nope!" Asta shouted. "Mission complete, Captain!"
Yami grinned. "Good. Then you've officially survived your first field test. Drinks for everyone — Charmy's cooking's on the house."
Inside, laughter and chaos erupted instantly. Magna and Luck argued about who'd landed the bigger hit; Noelle pretended not to care but smiled quietly; Asta bragged until he passed out in his food.
Lucian sat at the edge of the room, watching them — the noise, the light, the joy.
For the first time in his life, he felt it.
Belonging.
Not as a Silva. Not as a noble. But as himself.
A hand landed on his shoulder. He looked up to see Yami, smiling faintly.
"Not bad for a first day, kid. You've got power — real power. But remember…" Yami leaned closer, voice low and steady. "…a Magic Knight ain't about who's strongest. It's about who protects their comrades when it counts."
Lucian nodded slowly. "I understand, Captain."
Yami grinned, straightening. "Good. Then welcome to the family, Lucian Silva — the Black Bulls' new wildcard."
As laughter roared through the base and the stars shone bright outside, Lucian looked around at the faces — loud, reckless, genuine — and smiled.
He wasn't an outcast anymore.
He was one of them.